Lubin Vows To “Shut Everybody Up” Against Vergil Ortiz Jr.

Erickson Lubin says he wants to “shut everybody up” with the performance he puts in against WBC interim junior middleweight champion Vergil Ortiz Jr. on November 8th at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.

Silencing The Critics

‘The Hammer’ Lubin (27-2, 19 KOs) sees this fight as his opportunity to take the #1 spot in the 154-lb division by dethroning the King of the division, Ortiz Jr. (23-0, 21 KOs).

Ortiz Jr.-Lubin will be broadcast on DAZN on November 8th. The event starts at 8:00 p.m. ET. In the co-feature, lightweight contender Floyd “Kid Austin” Schofield faces veteran Joseph “JoJo” Diaz Jr.

“My job is to go out on November 8th and shut everybody up,” said Lubin to MillCity Boxing about his fight against Ortiz. “All that talk doesn’t mean nothing. What matters is me going against Vergil Ortiz.

As you can tell, Erickson is tired of hearing all the criticism he’s been receiving on social media over his past losses and his slim chances of beating Vergil Jr. on November 8th.

You can’t blame the fans for viewing him as Ortiz’s token lamb for the slaughter. He’s been dominating, and his last two victories over Israil Madrimov and Serghii Bohachuk showed how tough he can be. He went through a lot of adversity to get those wins.

‘The Hammer’ Strikes Back

“I’m not worried about the past. I’m going to rectify those losses. That’s what makes you a killer. Some people will break off that. We’re going out there to solidify who is the best in the division. They got Vergil Ortiz #1 in the 154-lb division,” said Erickson.

If Lubin beats Vergil Jr., he’ll put himself in line to challenge WBC junior middleweight champion Sebastian Fundora to get revenge for his ninth-round stoppage loss from 2022. He’d hold the WBC interim belt with a victory over Ortiz Jr., and that’s the golden ticket to a rematch with ‘The Towering Inferno.’

I don’t see there being much hope for Lubin getting a chance to avenge his first-round knockout loss to Jermell Charlo from October 14, 2017. He hasn’t fought in two years since his loss to Canelo Alvarez in 2023. If he ever does come back, it’ll be to get the biggest paydays he can get. That’s not going to be against Erickson.

Path Back To The Top

“Beating a guy like that will solidify me as the top guy. With the resume that I have, it’s going to put me at the top spot right here,” said Lubin.

It depends on how Erickson defeats Vergil Jr. If he chooses to box like he did in his win over Jesus Ramos, and barely nicks a decision, he’s not going to get pushed to the #1 spot at 154. You’ve got to do more than that.

Lubin has to dominate Vergil Jr., either knock him out, because there are still other top guys like Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis, Israil Madrimov, and Bakhram Murtazaliev that he would have to outperform.

By Sean Jones — Senior Boxing Writer, Covering the Sport Since 2016.