Last week, BoxingScene.com's Keith Idec broke the news that former champion Jeison "Banana" Rosario (20-2-1) and former title challenger Erickson "The Hammer" Lubin (23-1) had agreed to terms for a late spring showdown.  The fight will be broadcast by Showtime with the date likely falling in May or June.

Rosario shocked the boxing world when he stopped Julian Williams in January, 2020. He entered the fight a major underdog and took the fight to Williams. With the fifth round knockout, he captured the WBA and IBF super welterweight titles.

He returned to the ring in September in a unification bout against WBC champion Jermell Charlo and lost via eigth round stoppage.

The 25-year-old Lubin on the other hand has reeled off five victories in a row since being stopped by Charlo in 2017. He was last in action in September when he defeated Terrell Gashua by unanimous decision.  The final scores were 115-113, 118-110 and 116-1112.

Lubin's trainer Kevin Cunningham has been asking for a bigger challenge for his charge and in Rosario his wish has come to fruition.

With Charlo and WBO super welterweight champion Brian Castano expected to square off in the summer, Team Lubin is willing to risk their mandatory position for the opportunity to take on a high quality opponent.

“Charlo is looking to become undisputed champion so we asked for any one of the other top five guys. Rosario’s the only one that stepped up. I have nothing but respect for him," Cunningham told BoxingScene.com.

Cunningham expects an explosive fight and has set the bar really high.  He predicts that it will resemble the March 10th, 1986 Marvin Hagler-John Mugabi classic that was won by Hagler in 11 rounds.

"I tell you this, we’re going to box smart and stand our ground at the same damn time. I believe this fight will look a lot like Hagler-Mugabi," said Cunningham.

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