#3-ranked contender Erickson Lubin says he’s ready to challenge IBF junior middleweight champion Bakhram Murtazaliev (23-0, 17 KOs) next. Lubin states that he was supposed to have fought Murtazaliev, but the negotiations didn’t work out. He’s now ready to fight him following his third-round knockout win over former WBO 154-lb champion Tim Tszyu last Saturday night in Orlando, Florida.
Lubin (26-2, 18 KOs) says that wasn’t an upset win for Murtazaliev because he went into the fight as the champion against Tszyu, even though he was the underdog. He wasn’t surprised by Murtazaliev’s win because he felt that Tszyu had never beaten anyone of note during his eight-year professional career.
Erickson Lubin’s Defeats
- Sebastian Fundora: RTD 9
- Jermell Charlo: KO 1
It remains to be seen whether Lubin, 29, will be the next challenger for Murtazaliev because he wants a unification fight. Facing Lubin, who hasn’t fought since his controversial 12-round unanimous decision win over Jesus Ramos over a year ago on September 30th, 2023, isn’t ideal for Murtazaliev.
“It wasn’t no upset. He fought the champion. I know he was the favorite, but it wasn’t no upset,” said Erickson Lubin to Fight Hook New, talking about Bakhram Murtazaliev’s win over Tim Tszyu last Saturday night.
Lubin is a good fighter, but he’ll likely be way out of his league going up against Murtazaliev because this guy punches too hard and would attack him with shots that he couldn’t take for more than a few rounds without folding like he did against Jermell and Fundora.
“He fought the champion, and who has Tim Tszyu fought? Who has Tim beat? Tony [Harrison] was over the edge,” said Lubin when told that Tszyu had beaten Tony Harrison in the past. “They came out guns blazing. That happens in boxing,” said Lubin.
Tszyu has wins over Brian Mendoza, Carlos Ocampo and Terrell Gausha. Those are good fighters and would give Lubin a lot of problems. They might even beat him. Lubins’ last fight against Jesus Ramos left a bitter taste in the mouth of a lot of boxing fans because they felt he was gifted a decision.
“I’m not going to kick the man while he’s down. I hope he recovers. I hope he comes back, but that Russian dude [Murtazaliev] is strong. He’s tall, and he looks a little durable. That’s the fight I want next. I wanted that fight before Tim Tszyu got him. Tim jumped the gun a little bit,” said Lubin.
Those shots that Murtazaliev dropped Tszyu with four times in his win would have likely done the same thing if he landed them on Lubin. We’re talking about a fighter in Lubin that Jermell Charlo knocked out in the first round in 2017. Jermell’s KO percentage of 54, and he’s nowhere near the same kind of puncher as Murtazaliev.
