Erickson Lubin’s Saturday night win over Terrell Gausha wasn’t the most thrilling fight, but it earned the 24-year-old Lubin a shot at the WBC junior middleweight title, and getting in line for a second crack at a belt was the ultimate goal.
Lubin (23-1, 16 KO) wasn’t overly enthused with his own performance, but gave Gausha (21-2-1, 10 KO) credit, too, and now looks to move forward.
“I’d give myself a B- tonight. I think the layoff had a little to do with it, but Gausha is a top competitor. He’s at the top of the weight class for a reason. I just want to stay active and get my title shot,” Lubin said.
“It was a chess match. He respected what I have, and I knew I needed to stay smart. He was trying to counter me when I feinted, and I just knew to be cautious. My trainer told me to not get hit with anything stupid, so I just stayed focused.”
Lubin’s shot at the WBC strap will come against either Jermell Charlo, who currently holds the belt, or Jeison Rosario, and could include the WBA and IBF belts, too. Rosario has those in his possession, and they’ll meet in a unification fight next Saturday on Showtime pay-per-view.
Charlo knocked Lubin out in the first round of a title fight back in 2017, and Lubin has long wanted a rematch. He appears to be rooting for that at least a little bit, as he’s picking Charlo to win, and is adamant that he’s a better fighter than the one Charlo caught with the right hand three years ago.
“I think Jermell Charlo is going to come out on top against Jeison Rosario,” Lubin said. “I’m ready for a rematch if he can take care of business like I did. I changed up a lot since the first fight. I have a master trainer in my corner in Kevin Cunningham, along with my longtime trainer Jason Galarza. I’m just all around a better fighter since the first time we fought.”