Ortiz Jr. Looks Drained As Lubin Eyes Weak Link

By Graham Ilford – Colossus Boxing: An emaciated-looking Vergil Ortiz Jr. and Erickson Lubin both weighed in successfully today at their weigh-in for their 12-round junior middleweight headliner this Saturday, November 8, at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. The event will be shown live on regular DAZN.

Credit: Golden Boy Promotions / Cris Esqueda

The fight is viewed as a test for WBC interim junior middleweight champion Ortiz Jr. (23-0, 21 KOs) to show whether he’s battle-ready for a clash against Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis in the first quarter of 2026. Vergil Jr., 27, must get past the more experienced Lubin (27-2, 19 KOs) for him to proceed to the riskier match against what many fans view as the crème de la crème, Ennis.

The Real Weigh-In, Not the Show

Weigh-in results

Vergil Ortiz: 153.8 lbs
Erickson Lubin: 154 lbs

As Lubin mentioned this week, “I’m looking to mess up those plans that Vergil Jr. and his promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, have of a mega-bout against ‘Boots’ Ennis in 2026. Erickson sees a very hittable fighter in Ortiz Jr., who lacks the experience needed to tackle a fighter at his level.

Golden Boy’s Gamble

I agree with Lubin. Golden Boy has kept the Texas native Vergil Ortiz Jr. during his nine-year career, and he hasn’t faced the harsh realities of competing against predators at 147 or 154. He’s been kept in a protected mode and is only now facing someone who is going to expose him. Ortiz Jr. is only now entering the general population.

Lubin’s Eyes Tell the Story

“Vergil doesn’t have the resume that I have at 154 pounds. He’s an undefeated fighter, but he doesn’t have the resume that I have,” said Erickson Lubin to Fight Hub TV about his fight with Vergil Ortiz Jr. “If you ask me, he needs me more than anything. A guy like myself, a guy who has been at the top. He’s got some proving to do.

“So, instead of that poster, they go, where I’m entering his world, ‘Dare to Enter’, it’s more like ‘Judgement Day.’ That’s what I named it. It’s judgment day for me and judgment day for Vergil Ortiz,” said Lubin.

Lubin is going into Saturday’s fight with momentum on his side with a three-fight winning streak in which he’s looked golden. The improvements that he’s made since his ninth-round injury stoppage against Sebastian Fundora on April 9, 2022, are impressive. He’s breezed through these three fighters:

• Ardreal Holmes
• Jesus Ramos Jr.
• Luis Arias

In contrast, Ortiz Jr. has been forced to labor in his last two fights against Israil Madrimov and Serhii Bohachuk in fights that were razor-close in 2024 and 2025. The punishment that Vergil Jr. took in those fights makes it difficult to predict a positive outcome for him on Saturday night if he gets dragged into a war with Erickson.

Veteran boxing columnist Graham Ilford brings dry humor and long-earned perspective to the sport.