-
Andreas Hell
Virgil Ortiz Jr. returns to action on Saturday to defend his WBC interim junior middleweight title, and will face 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 in Golden Boy Promotions and is recognized by ESPN as the No. 1-ranked junior middleweight despite not being an outright title holder. The powerful Ortiz will try to make a statement against Lubin (27-2, 19 KOs), an opponent who enters the fight as an underdog (+550 per ESPN BET) but has experience and power.
Ortiz (23-0, 17 KOs) has big things ahead of him as he aims to fulfill a prophecy set by promoter Oscar De La Hoya several years ago when he was in the early stages of his professional career. But Ortiz can’t look too far ahead to 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 when Ortiz faces Lubin in Saturday’s 154-pound bout.
Who will Ortiz call out in his post-fight interview?
All eyes will be on what Ortiz (-900 per ESPN BET) says if he emerges victorious on Saturday night. He is in the unusual position of being the highest ranked fighter in the division despite not holding a world title. He has nothing to defend and needs to get whatever he wants at 154 pounds. What he says in the ring will be important because he has no shortage of fans. The list of potential opponents includes Zayas, Ennis and WBC champion Sebastian Fundora.
Will Ortiz pursue the championship, and if so, will he call out Zayas or will it be Fundora? Or will he seek the best fight in the division, a long-awaited showdown with Ennis? No one wants to hear Ortiz say he’s going to leave the election to his team. He has created quite a stir on social media and he certainly has a bite to it. It’s time for Ortiz to get his shot back.
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 Israel Madrimov and Serhiy Bohachuk. Madrymov’s result is not surprising considering that his only previous defeat was to Terence Crawford and he has a complex style to read. Nevertheless, Ortiz hurt Madrymov several times in the fight. Bohachuk could be considered Ortiz’s “off night”, where he won a majority decision despite losing twice.
Lubin is less durable than Madrymov and Bohachuk and has lost by knockout to Fundora and Jermall Charlo. “The Hammer” has yet to lose on the scorecards so it will be interesting to see if Ortiz can finish him off. Power is an interesting thing in boxing. Most fighters’ knockout percentage decreases as they advance to higher ranked competition. Ortiz is known for his devastating power, but what happens when an opponent can match that acclaimed knockout ability? Is he capable of beating the best junior middleweights after starting his career as a junior welterweight?
Can Lubin test Ortiz’s chin?
Lubin is a powerful puncher who has dominated his opponents. After his Round 1 loss to Charlo, Lubin has made a habit of wearing his opponents down. Even in his loss to Fundora, Lubin rocked the current WBC champion several times and knocked him out with punishment in the seventh round. Ortiz has shown vulnerability and 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 is not expected to win, but he is dangerous enough to pull off an upset.
Can Lubin win the big fight?
Lubin was once pegged as a future world champion, but has yet to win a gold medal in her 12-year professional career. When he faced Charlo for the WBC title in 2017 he was a narrow underdog and was knocked out in the first round. He appeared to gather himself over the next few bouts, and destroyed former unified champion Jeison Rosario in 2021 to earn another title shot. Unfortunately, he lost against Fundora in one of the best bouts of 2022, which ended in round 9 after taking too much punishment from Lubin. Although the fight with Ortiz is just for an interim title, it could be Lubin’s last chance to get close to a world title. At 30 years old and entering his 30th professional fight, he can’t afford to fall short again. Ortiz is dangerous, but Lubin’s stealth power could turn the fight. Lubin 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 will be in line to face the winner of Fundora vs. Thurman next year. The problem is that Fundora is out with a hand injury and the fight against Thurman – originally scheduled for October 28 – has yet to secure a new date. Additionally, Ortiz is promoted by Golden Boy and fights on DAZN, while Thurman and Fundora compete for Premier Boxing Champions on Amazon Prime. It’s no impossible task, but Ortiz will have to overcome some obstacles to capture the WBC title. He is not ranked in the top 15 by the WBO, IBF or WBA, which is necessary to challenge their title holders – Zayas, Bakhram Murtazaliev and Abas Barou respectively. If he chooses to fight “Boots” next, his title aspirations will have to wait until the second half of 2026 at the earliest.
