The rehabilitation of Erickson Lubin’s boxing career is nearly complete.
On September 30, in the co-main event of one of the biggest fight cards of 2023, Lubin will face unbeaten Jesus Ramos Jr. at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
It’s not for a title, it’s not a fight that will receive a ton of hype over the next month, but as far as the career of Lubin goes, it’s the type of matchup and platform that will finally move him a step closer to completing a rebuilding process that began on the morning of October 15, 2017.
The night before, Lubin, less than two weeks after his 22nd birthday, suffered the first loss of his pro career to Jermell Charlo. It wasn’t just any loss, though, as he was halted late in the first round in a fight for the WBC junior middleweight title. If he lost a lopsided decision, got stopped in the middle of a memorable war, or any result other than the one that happened at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, it might not have taken nearly six years for him to get back to this position.
But a scary, one punch finish? From the moment it happened, critics felt justified in saying that he wasn’t ready for Charlo and a championship fight after just 18 trips to the ring. And he wasn’t. Not that Lubin was going to turn down a world title fight whenever it was offered. That kind of spirit and fearlessness is in his DNA, and when I brought up people doubting his readiness for the Charlo fight a month before, his eyes lit up as he bristled, “Who said I’m not ready?”
A lot of people. But after compiling a reported 143-7 amateur record, 18 pro wins (none of them against an opponent with a losing record), and having the confidence of youth on his side, he figured it to be smooth sailing all the way to the top. But boxing has a way of smashing the plans of young men with big dreams, and that’s just what happened in 2017.
He’s had to live with it for years.
“It played on my mind for a while during that time because I just wasn’t used to losing,” Lubin told me in June of 2022. “It was my first L as a professional, so it was a little weird for me after having all the hype behind me and all the buzz around me. I was looking to be a star immediately at a young age. So it played on my mental state a little bit, especially the days after the fight. But I know how strong mentally I am, so I just went back to the drawing board.”
Less than six months after his first pro loss, he was back in the ring, stopping Silverio Ortiz in four rounds. He opened up 2019 with a three-round TKO of Ishe Smith, and after four more wins, he faced Sebastian Fundora for the interim WBC 154-pound title in April of 2022.
Lubin lost for the second time that night in Las Vegas, but in a Fight of the Year candidate, he emptied his tank in search of victory. And in defeat, he may have gained more fans. Strangely enough, if he lost to Charlo the way he lost to Fundora, things might have looked quite differently for the Florida native.
“It’s weird,” he said after the fight. “I don’t like losses and losses don’t sit well with me, but it’s crazy to see how satisfied people were after the fight. I felt the love way more after this fight than a bunch of fights, maybe all of my fights.”
That was satisfying, but not completely. Lubin didn’t get into the hardest game for moral victories or the love of the fans. He wants to be known as a champion when it’s all said and done.
Lubin stopped Luis Arias in five rounds in June.
“The Luis Arias fight was a good comeback fight,” he said. “I knew that with the way we trained, I was gonna dominate. That was eight weeks ago and now I’m happy we have only a few weeks to go for this one. I’m coming for another statement win.”
Now he faces the rising star and likely A-side Ramos on the card where Charlo meets Mexican superstar Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in the main event. If we’re talking about this being a full circle moment for Lubin, what better scenario than this, to put himself back in the title race on the same night headlined by the man who derailed him in the first place?
Want another?
Lubin is 27, the same age Charlo was when he beat him. Ramos? He’s 22 years old.
“I’m definitely not downplaying Ramos,” said Lubin at a press conference in Los Angeles on Tuesday. “But I was 22 years old like him and I took a step up in competition against a 27-year-old and fell short. I think history repeats itself, but in my favor.”
No one deserves anything in any sport. You have to earn what you get. And nearly six long years after the worst night of his professional life, Erickson Lubin has earned this opportunity with the world watching. Yes, he’ll likely be the underdog, just like he was against Charlo, but he’s apparently learned what it takes to win at the highest level of his chosen sport. Now he just has to do it, take Ramos’ rankings at 154 pounds, and make some noise for a 2024 title shot.
“This win solidifies that I belong at the top,” he said. “It shows that I need a title shot. The winner of this fight will definitely get a big fight.
“I’m looking for a one-sided ass-whooping. I want to go in there and come out with the victory, untouched.”
Lubin has the comeback story; all that’s left is the Hollywood ending.