Before Erickson Lubin would lay his head to rest at night, the newly turned 26-year-old envisioned a roaring crowd standing on its feet while he clutched a junior middleweight world title. With six consecutive victories under his belt since his jaw-dropping defeat at the hands of Jermell Charlo several years ago, Lubin remained confident that his championship aspirations were well on their way.

Standing clear-cut in his way, however, was the gargantuan Sebastian Fundora. At a towering 6’6”, the lanky contender had goals of his own. So, with a showdown between them that took place on April 9th, earlier this year, both 154-pound luminaries were convinced that with a win, a matchup against Charlo would be essentially guaranteed.

Pegged as a slight favorite on the night, Lubin (24-2, 17 KOs) effortlessly outboxed his foe through three one-sided minutes. But despite experiencing loads of success early on, Fundora grabbed his man by the shoulders, before dragging him into an all-out war.

Although the Florida native has been praised for his otherworldly toughness, he found himself on the wrong end of a stoppage defeat. Though unlikely to take place in the immediate future, Lubin is hopeful that the freakishly tall contender will grant him the opportunity for redemption.

Ultimately, given no choice but to sulk in self-pity for approximately eight months, Lubin is sure that a sequel against his budding rival would yield completely different results.

“I’ll stop him,” said Lubin during an interview with BoxingScene.com. “I’ll stop him.”

Since claiming the WBC interim crown against Lubin, Fundora has gone on to add yet another name to his ever-growing resume. On October 8th, to put an end to his 2022, Fundora easily outpointed durable fringe contender, Carlos Ocampo.

Lubin, having suffered facial injuries against Fundora, has remained sequestered on the sidelines. Nevertheless, according to the 26-year-old, he expects to return to the ring in the first quarter of 2023.  

While the sting of defeat still bothers him, Lubin maintains that a world title shot is just a few wins away. In terms of the inherent pressure that’s associated with a beaten fighter, Lubin reveals that he feels just fine. As his return to the squared circle nears, Lubin dished a succinct message as he explains his overall psyche going forward.

“I feel no pressure but I feel like I gotta go in there and dominate. Just be me.”