By Jim Calfa: Junior middleweight contender Erickson ‘The Hammer’ Lubin says he’s ready to make a statement against unbeaten Jesus Ramos in their 12 round co-feature spot on September 30th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
With Jermell Charlo potentially not returning to the 154-lb division after his fight with Canelo Alvarez in the main event, Lubin would be in a position to fight for one of the belts once they’re fragmented. Getting a fight with Terence Crawford would be ideal.
Ramos is the favorite for good reason. This guy is looking unbeatable right now, and he might be the best fighter in the 154-lb division. If Jermell returns to the division, he could be in for a lot of trouble if he faces Ramos.
If Lubin loses to Ramos, it is going to be difficult for him to come back from the defeat. He’s already been stopped twice, and getting beaten again would be a blow to his career.
Lubin (25-2, 18 KOs) says he’s matured since losing to Sebastian Fundora by a ninth round stoppage defeat last year in April, and he wants to prove that against the unbeaten 22-year-old Ramos (20-0,16 KOs).
The 27-year-old Lubin is coming off a fifth round knockout win over Luis Arias last June in an impressive performance. In that fight, Lubin didn’t take an enormous amount of punishment as he did in his loss to the 6’5 1/2″ Fundora last year.
In that fight, Lubin’s face was rearranged to the point where was unrecognizable.
Even now, Lubins’s face doesn’t look like it previously did before that fight. With swelling between the eyes, he doesn’t resemble how he looked in the past.
Lubin to take advantage of his speed
“I had to take a step back and mature a little bit more, do things the right way, and come back even stronger. That’s the plan on September 30th,” said Erickson Lubin to Fighthype about his return against Jesus Ramo on the undercard of Canelo Alvarez vs. Jermell Charlo.
The most important thing Lubin needs to learn from his past defeats is to stop brawling with his opponents because he’s not tough enough to win those kinds of fights.
“I feel like I have the advantage in a few things with my speed, my power. He’s a good puncher himself, but I feel like my experience and everything like that will definitely be an advantage,” said Lubin.
“At 22 years old, I felt the same way. I was about to fight Charlo. I felt the same way. I felt unstoppable being there, and I’m sure he [Jesus Ramos] feels real high on myself. But I feel like he’s never fought anybody like myself.”
Ramos is a better puncher than Lubin was at the same age, and he’s not shown to be chinny like him. There’s less chance of Ramos falling apart like Lubin did when he was 22, but we’ll see how he looks on September 30th.
“I feel like he’s never fought an Erickson Lubin. I feel like there’s nobody on his resume that’s like myself. I feel like I’ll do the same things if I had those types of opponents in front of me; I’d probably do them even dirtier.
“Beating Luis Arias was to get my feet wet and to get back in the ring. I got to do more. Beating Ramos would be big. I got to come out blazing,” said Lubin.
Beating Luis Arias proves nothing for Lubin, as he’s a soft target who would lose to any of the top guys in the 154-lb division. Ramos is a whole different story, and it’s going to take a special performance from Lubin for him to come out victorious.
“I’ve had to get it the hard way. I told my handlers to get me to a title fast. I don’t want to fight nobody with losing records. So, getting to it the hard way has always been how it’s been, even as a kid. I didn’t grow up spoonfed, so it would definitely be gratifying getting it like this.
“He’s definitely coming to fight. There’s nobody I’m sleeping on. I’m excited about this match-up. It’s a southpaw vs. southpaw match-up. He’s a volume fighter. It’ll be a firefight for sure. I feel like skills pay the bills, and that’s what I’m giving to show him on fight night.
“I ain’t putting it past Charlo. I’m not sleeping on Charlo,” said Lubin when asked about his prediction for the Canelo Alvarez vs. Jermell Charlo fight.
If Jermell is going to win his fight with Canelo Alvarez, he’s going to need to follow the Dmitry Bivol blueprint by boxing the Mexican star because he’s not going to outslug him.
Erickson wants to make a statement
“I feel like Charlo has a serious shot in the main event, but I can’t bet against Canelo right now,” said Lubin. “With what I’ve been seeing from him, in his last few performances, he hasn’t been his best self. But watching All Access and watching him training and watching him he talks, he sounds like he’s back to his old self. So, we’ll see what happens.
“People speed on Jermell’s IQ. I feel that he has to be on his A-game all night, which he always is. He’s fighting all 12 rounds. I give him a chance because of that and because of his IQ. He just has to put that altogether and he has a pretty good shot.
“Tune in. It’s Hammer Time on Showtime. It’s going to be a big event. We’re ready to make a statement on Saturday, September 30th,” said Lubin.
