American WBC interim 154-pound champion Vergil Ortiz Jr. has successfully retained his title following an easy 2-round domination win over countryman Erickson Lubin. The two headlined in a 12-round title bout at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, in a show promoted by Golden Boy Promotions.
There was not much between the two as Ortiz (24-0, 22 KO’s) stormed to an easy victory as he pressured Lubin (27-3, 19 KO’s) heavily right off the bat during their super welterweight (154 lbs) contest with Ortiz’ WBC interim title on the line. The 1st round saw Lubin look to settle on using his jab while Ortiz sought to keep the fight on the inside. The action was sparse as the two spent most of the time seeking to figure each other outbut Ortiz did find success in the closing seconds as he cornered Lubin and landed several combinations.
The 2nd round saw Vergil Ortiz have more success with his pressure and by the closing first minute the interim champion managed to trap Erickson Lubin onto the ropes where he continued to land several times. Lubin fought back as Ortiz sought to break him down but after a series of right hooks that Lubin could not answer to, the referee interceded soon after ― allowing Ortiz to claim the victory by technical knockout (TKO) in the 2nd round.
Lubin, 30, was a top 10-ranked contender with several sanctioning bodies including being #1 at the WBC, making Ortiz’ victory a surefire confirmation of warranting a title shot against incumbent WBC super welterweight (154 lbs) champion Sebastian Fundora (23-1-1, 15 KO’s).
Fundora is likely still recovering from an injury he suffered prior to a planned October 25th title defense against Keith Thurman but should be available by at least early 2026.
However, another fight for Vergil Ortiz seems to have captured the boxing world as WBA interim champion Jaron Ennis (35-0, 31 KO’s) has been angled as Ortiz’ next opponent as the two came face-to-face in the ring. Ortiz himself seemed enthusiastic about the potential fight:
“I think this is the fight that has to happen,” said Ortiz during his post-match interview in the ring. “I think this is it.”
Ennis agreed with the notion after being called into the ring, remarking that their fight would be the “best fight in boxing” and that he would prove himself the best in the world. The two went back and forth after Ennis accused Ortiz’ team of “talking crazy”, to which Ortiz responded was a “retaliation” for claims made by someone of Ennis’ team that Ortiz was ducking Ennis.
Ultimately an oral agreement seemed to be struck between the two to fight each other next, through no bout contracts have yet been signed by either fighter. Ennis’ promoter, Matchroom chairman Eddie Hearn, claimed previously that the two would eventually fight each other after completing their respective bouts in the interim and with both their fights now out of the way, the first quarter of 2026 could potentially see this exciting battle between the two interim champions occur.
