Earlier than Erickson Lubin would lay his head to relaxation at night time, the newly turned 26-year-old envisioned a roaring crowd standing on its ft whereas he clutched a junior middleweight world title. With six consecutive victories below his belt since his jaw-dropping defeat by the hands of Jermell Charlo a number of years in the past, Lubin remained assured that his championship aspirations had been effectively on their manner.
Standing clear-cut in his manner, nonetheless, was the gargantuan Sebastian Fundora. At a towering 6’6”, the lanky contender had targets of his personal. So, with a showdown between them that occurred on April ninth, earlier this yr, each 154-pound luminaries had been satisfied that with a win, a matchup in opposition to Charlo can be basically assured.
Pegged as a slight favourite on the night time, Lubin (24-2, 17 KOs) effortlessly outboxed his foe by three one-sided minutes. However regardless of experiencing a great deal of success early on, Fundora grabbed his man by the shoulders, earlier than dragging him into an all-out warfare.
Though the Florida native has been praised for his otherworldly toughness, he discovered himself on the unsuitable finish of a stoppage defeat. Although unlikely to happen within the quick future, Lubin is hopeful that the freakishly tall contender will grant him the chance for redemption.
In the end, given no selection however to sulk in self-pity for about eight months, Lubin is bound {that a} sequel in opposition to his budding rival would yield utterly totally different outcomes.
“I’ll cease him,” mentioned Lubin throughout an interview with BoxingScene.com. “I’ll cease him.”
Since claiming the WBC interim crown in opposition to Lubin, Fundora has gone on so as to add yet one more title to his ever-growing resume. On October eighth, to place an finish to his 2022, Fundora simply outpointed sturdy fringe contender, Carlos Ocampo.
Lubin, having suffered facial accidents in opposition to Fundora, has remained sequestered on the sidelines. However, based on the 26-year-old, he expects to return to the ring within the first quarter of 2023.
Whereas the sting of defeat nonetheless bothers him, Lubin maintains {that a} world title shot is only a few wins away. When it comes to the inherent stress that’s related to a overwhelmed fighter, Lubin reveals that he feels simply superb. As his return to the squared circle nears, Lubin dished a succinct message as he explains his general psyche going ahead.
“I really feel no stress however I really feel like I gotta go in there and dominate. Simply be me.”