Vergil Ortiz (23-0, 21 KOs) will face a challenging opponent tonight when he faces the Ring’s number 5-ranked junior middleweight, Erickson Lubin (27-2, 19 KOs). The match will be contested at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, which is 20 miles away from Ortiz’s hometown of Grand Prairie.
Lubin is prepared to walk into the lion’s den and attempt to play the lion tamer. Two-time super lightweight world champion Regis Prograis believes Lubin is being underestimated by many, and he’ll surprise them with his performance tonight.
Prograis worked with Lubin during this camp, and from what he saw in Las Vegas, he believes he’ll give Ortiz everything he can handle. Regis sees a hungry fighter who has something to prove and someone who’s learned greatly from his two losses against Sebastian Fundora and Jermell Charlo. He’s learned to be smarter and will seek to apply a tactical approach that will decrease the damage he suffers by boxing, utilizing his agility and elusiveness.
Minimizing his exposure will lead him to reduce the time he spends in the pocket. He’s facing a fighter in Ortiz with a 91.3 percent knockout rate. He suffered serious damage in his match against Fundora due to his overly combative nature of wanting to trade with the 6’6 fighter.
Since that match, Lubin has won three consecutive matches and hopes to continue his streak against Ortiz. He knows another loss will derail his progress and may end his forward movement towards a world title. Ortiz is as difficult an opponent as those who handed Lubin his two losses. Vergil has a 25.8 percent jab connect rate, which is one of the highest in the sport (Compubox). Lubin’s success will be predicated on how successfully he can defend Vergil’s jab. Prograis did not pick a winner as he knows how both fighters are; he’ll be in attendance tonight as a spectator and hopes to enjoy a great fight. He knows Ortiz is a talented fighter who will be tested by an eagerly ambitious fighter with a chip on his shoulder.
The winner of this match is expected to fight in a super fight against Jaron “Boots” Ennis sometime next year. Boots is expected to be in attendance and witness firsthand who his next potential opponent may be.
Ennis recently stated that he is seeking a fight with the winner and will look to collect all the titles in the division in hopes of becoming the undisputed champion. There is great fan interest in an Ortiz-Ennis match-up, which would only be undone by an upset Lubin tonight. The 154-pound division is about to become one of the most exciting divisions in boxing, if the top contenders do as they say and fight each other.
