Whenever he gets close to fighting for a world title, the rug is jerked from underneath Erickson Lubin’s feet. He isn’t totally mad about his recent string of bad luck, however, he’s positive that his time is coming regardless.

On May 10th, the 29-year-old will take one step closer to his ultimate goal when he takes on Ardreal Holmes Jr. in an IBF eliminator.

Lubin (26-2, 18 KOs) doesn’t like playing the hypothetical game. The reason is simple, that would involve looking ahead. It isn’t something that he does often, but Lubin decided to play along.

If Holmes walks out of that Orlando arena with the first loss of his career, that would mean that Lubin did his job. It also means that he has a dinner date with full belt holder, Bakhram Murtazaliev. His name isn’t normally mentioned amongst the division’s top contenders. In part, it has to do with the difficulty of its pronunciation but also because of how deadly he’s looked out there.

The 32-year-old Russian champion was a sizable underdog against Tim Tszyu at the tail end of 2024. He never took umbrage to those who doubted him though, he simply went about his business and made quick work of the former champion, stopping him in just three rounds.

Tszyu, from Lubin’s point of view, is respectable but he believes they are on two completely different levels. If he gets the chance to throw down with Murtazaliev in the near future, he’s confident that he would pick up the win.

So where exactly does that confidence come from? For starters, it’s something that Lubin has always had. Secondly, he’s watched enough tape of Murtazaliev to know exactly what he brings to the table.

“He’s a good fighter but he’s not an all-around fighter where he can mix it up and box you,” explained Lubin to Sean Zittel. “He’s got only one style. I know how to switch it up. I’m not a one-dimensional fighter.”

Once Lubin rattled off that statement, he shook his head violently as if he were snapping back into reality. Murtazaliev’s IBF title is eye-catching and he’ll do anything to put it on his mantle but Holmes is no pushover, nor is he showing up just for a paycheck.

Lubin knows that Holmes is hungry for his own world title shot but his job is to turn his beautiful dream into a ghoulish nightmare.

“I think he’s coming to fight, he don’t wanna lose his 0 but I’m knocking him out.”