Andreas Hale
Vergil Ortiz Jr. returns to action on Saturday in defense of his WBC interim junior middleweight title, facing former welterweight title contender Erickson Lubin in Fort Worth, Texas (DAZN, 8 p.m. ET).
Ortiz, 27, has been one of the fastest-rising stars at Golden Boy Promotions and is recognized by ESPN as the No. 1-ranked junior middleweight despite not being a full titleholder. The powerful Ortiz will look to make a statement against Lubin (27-2, 19 KOs), an opponent who enters the fight as the underdog (+550 per ESPN BET) but has experience and power.
Great things lie ahead of Ortiz (23-0, 17 KOs) as he aims to fulfill the prophecy set upon him by promoter Oscar De La Hoya several years ago when he was early in his pro career. But Ortiz can’t look too far ahead at potential fights with Jaron “Boots” Ennis or WBO titleholder Xander Zayas until he takes care of business in the ring this weekend.
ESPN takes a look at five things to watch for when Ortiz takes on Lubin in a 154-pound clash on Saturday.
Who will Ortiz call out in his postfight interview?
All eyes will be on what Ortiz (-900 per ESPN BET) says should he emerge victorious on Saturday night. He is in the unusual position of being the highest-ranked fighter in the division despite not possessing a world title. He has nothing to defend and needs to be in pursuit of whatever it is that he desires at 154 pounds. What he says in the ring will be key as he isn’t short of suitors. The list of possible opponents includes Zayas, Ennis and WBC champion Sebastian Fundora.
Will Ortiz chase a championship, and if so, will he call out Zayas or will it be Fundora? Or will he look for the best fight in the division, a long-anticipated showdown with Ennis? What nobody will want to hear is Ortiz saying he is going to leave the choice up to his team. He’s done enough barking on social media, and he certainly has the bite. It’s time for Ortiz to call his shot.
Will Ortiz start a new KO streak?
After starting his career with 21 wins by stoppage, Ortiz has gone the distance in his last two fights — wins against Israil Madrimov and Serhii Bohachuk. The Madrimov result isn’t surprising considering that his only previous loss had been to Terence Crawford and he has a complicated style to get a read on. Yet, Ortiz hurt Madrimov numerous times in the fight. Bohachuk could be considered Ortiz’s “off night,” where he won a majority decision despite being knocked down twice.
Lubin is less durable than Madrimov and Bohachuk and has lost by knockout to Fundora and Jermell Charlo. “The Hammer” has yet to lose on the scorecards so it will be interesting to see if Ortiz can finish him. Power tends to be an interesting thing in boxing. Most fighters’ knockout percentage takes a dip as they move on to higher-ranked competition. Ortiz is known for his devastating power, but what happens when an opponent can withstand that vaunted knockout ability? Is he good enough to outbox the best of the junior middleweights after starting his career as a junior welterweight?
Can Lubin test Ortiz’s chin?
Lubin is a powerful puncher who has bludgeoned his way through the opposition. Outside of his Round 1 loss to Charlo, Lubin has made a habit of putting down his opponents. Even in his loss to Fundora, Lubin rocked the current WBC champion several times and put him down from an accumulation of punishment in the seventh round. Ortiz has shown vulnerability and has touched the canvas on several occasions. Depending on how Ortiz decides to fight Lubin, he could leave himself open to the power of “The Hammer.” In some ways, this is a trap fight because Lubin isn’t expected to win but is dangerous enough to scored an upset.
Can Lubin win the big fight?
Lubin once was pegged as a future world champion but has yet to win gold in his 12-year pro career. He was a narrow underdog when he faced Charlo for the WBC title in 2017 and was knocked out in the first round. He appeared to collect himself over the next few fights, laying waste to former unified champion Jeison Rosario in 2021 to earn another title shot. Unfortunately, he would come up short against Fundora in one of the best fights of 2022, which ended in Round 9 after Lubin took too much punishment. Although the fight with Ortiz is for just an interim title, it may be Lubin’s last chance to get close to a world title. At age 30 and entering his 30th pro fight, he can’t afford to come up short again. Ortiz is dangerous, but Lubin’s sneaky power could alter the course of the fight. Lubin has said this fight is about redemption, and he will have to prove it on Saturday.
Can Ortiz win a world title, and how?
If Ortiz successfully defends the WBC interim title against Lubin, he’ll be in line to face the winner of Fundora vs. Thurman next year. The problem is that Fundora is out due to a hand injury and the fight against Thurman — originally scheduled for Oct. 28 — has yet to secure a new date. Also, Ortiz is promoted by Golden Boy and fights on DAZN, while Thurman and Fundora compete for Premier Boxing Champions on Amazon Prime. It’s not an impossible task, but there are hurdles to overcome for Ortiz to get a crack at the WBC title. He’s not ranked in the top 15 by the WBO, IBF or WBA, necessary to challenge their titleholders — Zayas, Bakhram Murtazaliev and Abass Baraou, respectively. If he opts to fight “Boots” next, then his title aspirations will have to wait until the second half of 2026 at the earliest.
