By Graham Ilford – Colossus Boxing: What a massacre we saw tonight with Vergil Ortiz Jr. (24-0, 22 KOs) feasting on Erickson Lubin (27-3, 19 KOs), knocking him out in the second round on Saturday night at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.
Lubin offered little resistance in getting destroyed by WBC interim junior middleweight champion Ortiz Jr.
The fight ended quickly with Erickson covering up on the ropes in round two, letting Vergil Jr. have free rein to hit him at will with shots. It’s unclear what Lubin’s strategy was by covering up without throwing.
Initially, he wasn’t hurt, and he could have gotten off the ropes at any time. But once Ortiz landed 10 consecutive headshots around Lubin’s guard, it was too late for him to escape. The referee had to step in and stop the fight because Erickson was stunned and on the verge of falling. The fight was officially halted at 1:30 of round two.
“I just capitalized on his mistakes. What I do best, box,” said Vergil Ortiz Jr. to DAZN Boxing, when asked what he did to defeat Erickson Lubin on Saturday night.
Vergil Jr. didn’t need any strategy because Lubin made it easy by shelling up against the ropes like a sparring partner. He didn’t have to do anything other than stand in front of Erickson and unload on him with a flurry of shots. Lubin fought like he had no sense at all in his head.
“People think I’m a come-forward fighter. I am a come-forward fighter. I love to fight. That’s why I’m in boxing,” said Ortiz Jr. “But to be a boxer, you have to be smart too. So, I can be smart when I want to.”
There wasn’t much ring IQ needed for Vergil Jr. to take advantage of his prey. It was like hunting with the prey inside a cage. There was no sport involved in the way Lubin just stood there, not even trying to move or throw anything back.
Veteran boxing columnist Graham Ilford brings dry humor and long-earned perspective to the sport.