Ortiz Jr. Calls Out Crawford, Spence & Ennis After KO Win

Vergil Ortiz Jr. added Terence Crawford and inactive Errol Spence Jr. among the names he wants to potentially fight next, along with Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis, after his second-round technical knockout win over Erickson Lubin last Saturday night in Fort Worth, Texas.

Crawford? Not a Chance

It’s a big reach on WBC interim junior middleweight champion Ortiz Jr.’s part to hope for a fight against Crawford next. Vergil’s opponent, Lubin (27-3, 19 KOs) looked so bad in the fight that it’s difficult for fans to give the hype that he would need to lure Bud into facing him next.

Lubin, 30, looked horrible, fighting with his back against the ropes, not throwing punches, and getting stopped in lightning fashion by Ortiz Jr. (24-0, 22 KOs) in the second round. He appeared washed up. It wasn’t even a remotely competitive fight from the get-go, as Erickson had nothing to offer in the fight.

A Punching Bag in Fort Worth

Lubin’s movements were labored, as if he were moving on stilts, speed nowhere to be found, and his decision-making was inept. Repeatedly, Lubin backed against the ropes and shelled up, allowing the slow slugger Vergil Jr. to unload on him at will with body and headshots.

Even if he had anything left, his decision-making was terrible. It was the same thing we saw from Lubin in his losses to Jermell Charlo and Sebastian Fundora. Those are the only two notable names on Lubin’s 12-year pro resume, and he was knocked out in both fights.

Smoke, Mirrors, and Marketing

This poor level of opposition strengthened the argument that some fans have about Vergil Ortiz Jr.’s career being smoke and mirrors. It gives more weight to those who believe that Ortiz Jr. is an artificially manufactured fighter, a fake, made to look good due to matchmaking against weak opposition. Golden Boy did choose Lubin will, getting the perfect opponent to make Vergil Jr. look like 24k gold.

A Manufactured Contender

Choosing a faded Erickson Lubin rather than Bakhram Murtazaliev and ‘Boots’ Ennis, it gives fans the impression thaat Vergil’s career is a sham and he’s not what he’s being made to look like. In Chris Williams’s expert eyes, from his many years of watching boxing, Vergil Jr. looked like a slightly bigger, slower version of Eimantas Stanionis. The only difference between them is that Stanionis is faster and slightly smaller.

Fighting Errol Spence Would Fool No One

If Vergil Jr. fights the 35-year-old Errol Spence Jr. (28-1, 22 KOs) next instead of ‘Boots,’ he’s going to take a lot of criticism from the boxing public. Spence turns 36 in March 2026 and hasn’t fought in two years since his ninth-round knockout loss to Crawford on July 29, 2023. Moreover, Errol hasn’t looked good since his terrible car crash on October 10, 2019, in Dallas, Texas. He’s fought three times since that crash and looked like a shell of himself in each one.

“I’m here to fight the best. I don’t care who it is. It can be ‘Boots’ next. It can be Spence next. It can be Crawford next if he’s still willing to do it. That’s a fight that I’ve been calling for. I think that’s a great fight to make happen still,” said Vergil Ortiz Jr. at the post-fight press conference last Saturday night, discussing his opinions for his next fight after his second-round TKO of Erickson Lubin.

Better Options for Vergil Jr’s Next Fight

1. Jaron Ennis
2. Bakhram Murtazalev
3. Brandon Adams
4. Abass Baraou
5. Israil Madrimov – *Healthy version