Who Is Next for Erickson Lubin?
Judging by his recent social media posts, it appears that super welterweight boxer Erickson “The Hammer” Lubin (24-2, 17 KO’s) is on the verge of a fight announcement. Despite being clearly talented, Lubin, 27, has been somewhat snakebitten in his career. While undefeated, the rough-knuckled southpaw made quite a name for himself with his crowd pleasing style and flashy knockouts. In fact, his brutal one-punch devastation of Jorge Cota is still a warmly celebrated knockout.
Unfortunately, in his very next match, disaster would strike in his first title attempt. In what was his biggest duel, versus his toughest opponent, The Hammer stepped up to face then WBC 154-pound champion Jermell Charlo. Once in the ring, Lubin was flattened in the first round with a lethal, short right uppercut. Undaunted, the strong-minded Floridian dusted himself off and began his arduous journey back to title contention. Six fights and four knockouts later, Lubin found himself staging a match versus Sebastian Fundora with the interim WBC title up for grabs.
WHICH DOOR TO CHOSE?!
Once again, The Hammer was stopped within the distance in an upset loss. Only this time he made it to the ninth round in what was arguably a strong candidate for Fight of the Year. Both men would taste the canvas, Lubin suffered a hairline fracture in his nose, and each competitor showed more heart than a Kano fatality. Nevertheless, it was Lubin left to pick up the pieces and go back to the drawing board.
Currently ranked #7 (WBC) and hungry as ever, Lubin is a living testament to weathering life’s storms and continuing to chase one’s goals against all odds. It will be interesting to see who The Hammer has lined up for his next duel. Considering he sounds like he wants to get back quickly, it would not be surprising if he matches himself tough. Perhaps he will face two-division champion Danny Garcia, ranked #4 (WBC) and #11 (IBF), who has entered the division and staged one fight versus Jose Benavidez Jr.
There is also an interesting would-be match against Magomed Kurbanov, #6 (WBC), who recently defeated former world champion Patrick Teixeira. Within the WBC rankings, there is also a fun match to be penned with #2 (WBO), #3 (WBC), #4 (WBA) and #6 (IBF) Liam Smith. Smith was recently sniffing around to make a fight with Chris Eubank Jr and is clearly in the market to compete this year. If Lubin secured and won this match, it would certainly do wonders to advance him in the rankings. Yet, after all the speculation, we will have no choice but to await an announcement. Let’s just hope that it’s a good one!
By: Bakari Simpson
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