By Ryan Burton
LAS VEGAS, NV - Super welterweight contender Erickson Lubin (19-1) is currently in the middle of his training camp for his February 9th showdown against former champion Ishe Smith (29-10). The bout along with the Gervonta Davis-Abner Mares main event will be televised by Showtime.
His camp started out at Kevin Cunningham's Camp Cunningham in South Florida but now is training in Las Vegas where his stablemate Adrien Broner faces Manny Pacquiao on Saturday night at the MGM Grand Arena.
Cunningham said that Broner has been a good influence on the 23-year-old and that Lubin has learned a lot from Broner's first camp as a pay-per-view headliner.
"He is out here in camp preparing while I am out here with AB. Being that (Lubin's) fight is on the west coast we are just going to finish his camp out here," said Cunningham. "He is learning a lot from AB. He is looking at AB like a big brother and just soaking in this experience while focusing on his own fight. he facing guy with boat loads of experience.
Lubin was a highly decorated amateur and forgo a shot at the 2016 Olympics to turn pro. He advanced rapidly in the paid ranks and got a shot at a world title in 2017 when he came up short against then WBC super welterweight champion Jermell Charlo.
This will be Lubin's second fight since that loss. Cunningham believes that he will be a better fighter because of the experience.
"I think he learned from his setback and I tell him everything happens for a reason. You just have to use your experience to your advantage and learn and grow from it. I can tell he has matured a lot. He is focused on getting better. He is focused on getting better and on things that can take him to the next level. He is a pleasure to work with and i think he will bounce back in a major way," Cunningham told BoxingScene.com.
The veteran trainer finished our interview by saying that he believes this card is a great way to kick off 2019.
"I think February 9th is shaping up to be another great card for early 2019 and I think PBC is giving the fans the type of fights they want to see," said Cunningham.
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