Lubin interested in Williams if Charlo rematch isn’t next
Lubin is the WBC’s top ranked contender, but if he can’t get Jermell Charlo again, Julian Williams interests trainer Kevin Cunningham.
Erickson Lubin has been waiting patiently for the dust to settle so he can get his next assignment.
Check that — maybe it’s more accurate to say he’s waiting for the dust to kick up, iso it can then settle, and the lay of the land at junior middleweight will be more clear.
Lubin’s trainer Kevin Cunningham told Bad Left Hook he has a solid idea for a meaningful “next” for Lubin (23-1, 16 KO).
“If Jermell Charlo decides to go in another direction, we’d love a match up with ‘J Rock’ (Julian Williams). Fans are not interested in watching the top guys fight bums,” Cunningham said. “Both guys are looking for an opponent and a date, let’s make it happen. I’m hearing Charlo wants to fight for the WBO to become undisputed. Who knows, he’s in position to do whatever he wants.”
The lefty Lubin gloved up last against Terrell Gausha in Sept. 2020. “The Hammer” got the win, but I watched, and was left thinking, “Hey, where’s that hammer?” too much of the time.
What happened there, was he fighting to not lose, instead of win?
“No, I would say the opponent is difficult to look good against,” Cunningham said. “Gausha is an experienced former Olympian and top 10-level fighter. He fights really defensive with the high guard and doesn’t open up much, so it’s not easy to look good against that style.”
Cunningham believes a Lubin-Williams fight would be more energetic.
“I think their styles would make for a fan-friendly fight,” said Cunningham. “You have two of the best in the division. Lubin’s a boxer-puncher and ‘J Rock’ can box but likes to mix it up on the inside.”
Lubin has been a little under the radar, and that’s no credit to the way the sport works, frankly. He was hyped up headed to his Oct. 2017 meeting with Jermell Charlo, but Charlo dropped and stopped Lubin in the first round.
Charlo has since lost and regained the WBC title, and added the WBA and IBF belts in his last outing, a win over Jeison Rosario. It’s likely Jermell and Lubin will get reacquainted sooner than later, but if it’s not sooner, then Lubin-Williams makes sense to Cunningham.
“This young man Erickson just turned 25, he’s always had raw talent, good boxing IQ, and punching power,” Cunningham said. “But I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to take him to the next level. We’ve tightened up the defense, better balance and mastering the art of setting up his shots.”
My Three Cents: You might want to factor Lubin in more at 154 than you are now, consider that he could be coming to his physical prime — along the lines of where Jermell, now 30, was when he and Erickson fought in Brooklyn.