The pre-fight narrative around Vergil Ortiz Jr. has been simple: beat Erickson “The Hammer” Lubin on November 8 and march straight into a mega-fight with Jaron “Boots” Ennis. Lubin has other ideas. Ranked No. 5 by The Ring at 154 pounds, Lubin (27-2, 19 KOs) insists he’s not a tune-up and enters Dickies Arena in Fort Worth with a chip large enough to flip the division’s script.
“Beating somebody like Vergil, I’d basically be replacing him,” Lubin declared in the “Dare 2 Enter” promo. “I’m one of the top dogs in this division… After this fight, they won’t be talking about Vergil.