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By Thomas Gerbasi - Remember what it was like to be 19 years old? Okay, when you stop cringing, thinking about all the ****** things you did and bad decisions you made, take a look at junior middleweight prospect Erickson Lubin and wonder how you would fit in his shoes.
He’s 19, ultra-talented, highly-touted, and is fighting in an ESPN Friday Night Fights co-main event against late replacement opponent Michael Finney. When you have those three attributes in your favor, along with uber-adviser Al Haymon in your corner, the thoughts of most teenagers would be about money, fame, houses, cars, etc. Yet every time you see an interview with the Orlando, Florida native, he’s talking about world championships, being great, and being remembered.
“That came from studying the game,” he said of his approach to his career. “I have a great team behind me and they keep me level-headed. These other trainers build up their fighters too much to the point where they just fall off and get caught up in the fame and stuff like that. I just want to make sure I’m world champion, with multiple titles, and all that will come with the world titles.”
If Lubin sounds different from most prospects with his upside, it’s because he is. A world-class amateur expected to not just make the 2016 United States Olympic team but medal in Rio, Lubin – 143-7 as an amateur – opted against a run for gold, instead choosing to chase gold of another sort in the pro ranks. He admits it was a tough decision, but he believes it was the right one as well. [Click Here To Read More]
He’s 19, ultra-talented, highly-touted, and is fighting in an ESPN Friday Night Fights co-main event against late replacement opponent Michael Finney. When you have those three attributes in your favor, along with uber-adviser Al Haymon in your corner, the thoughts of most teenagers would be about money, fame, houses, cars, etc. Yet every time you see an interview with the Orlando, Florida native, he’s talking about world championships, being great, and being remembered.
“That came from studying the game,” he said of his approach to his career. “I have a great team behind me and they keep me level-headed. These other trainers build up their fighters too much to the point where they just fall off and get caught up in the fame and stuff like that. I just want to make sure I’m world champion, with multiple titles, and all that will come with the world titles.”
If Lubin sounds different from most prospects with his upside, it’s because he is. A world-class amateur expected to not just make the 2016 United States Olympic team but medal in Rio, Lubin – 143-7 as an amateur – opted against a run for gold, instead choosing to chase gold of another sort in the pro ranks. He admits it was a tough decision, but he believes it was the right one as well. [Click Here To Read More]
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