By: Hans Themistode
Erickson Lubin has successfully peeled himself up off the canvas, both figuratively and literally.
With the entire boxing world watching, the Florida native would lose in stunning fashion at the hands of Jermell Charlo in October of 2017. While initially embarrassed and acrimonious by the way things played out, Lubin shifted his focus toward turning his career around.
So far so good, as the now 26-year-old has reeled off six impressive victories in a row. His seventh, however, could prove to be his most difficult. On April 9th, at the Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas, Nevada, Lubin will square off against the freakishly tall Sebastian Fundora.
Should Lubin secure the victory, he refuses to look up and down the list of current 154-pound contenders for his next opponent. Instead, Lubin is of the belief that as long as he takes care of business this Saturday night, his world title opportunity is undeniable.
“That has to be next,” said an animated Lubin on an episode of Morning Kombat. “That has to be next. I been number one for a while now in the WBC. I thought after the Rosario fight I would get the winner of Charlo/Castano. Obviously, there’s a draw. I’m not gonna sit there and wait. So yea, I took the fight with Fundora, Fundora is a great fighter. He's ranked number two in the WBC. And they putting the WBC interim strap on the line.”
Charlo, as mentioned previously by Lubin, is currently occupying his time by preparing himself to face off against WBO titlist, Brian Castano. The two originally shared the ring in July of 2021, with their bout ending in a controversial split decision draw. With the two set to run things back on May 14th, Lubin is hoping that by toppling the nearly 6’6” Fundora, he’ll be viewed as the clear and only challenger for the winner.
At first glance, the enormity of Fundora’s frame would seem to pose a perplexing puzzle for Lubin to solve. Nevertheless, despite his towering physique, Lubin believes he'll have no issue cutting his man down to size, as long as he makes the 154-pound weight limit.
“I think this fight right here separates me from the pack. I been doing the champion's job, I been beating top contender after top contender. They put another one in front of me. I feel like I can adjust to any style. As long as he go on that scale at 154, we got a fight. It’s really no problem for me.”
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