Erickson Lubin intends to teach Ardreal Holmes an invaluable lesson about levels Saturday night.

Lubin looks at Holmes’ unblemished professional record as the basis for what he considers Holmes’ false sense of confidence as they approach their 12-round IBF junior middleweight elimination match in Kissimmee, Florida. The 29-year-old Lubin has faced numerous championship-caliber 154-pound boxers since he ascended to the top level of their division, whereas he represents a step up in opposition for Holmes.

The winner of their high-stakes main event at Silver Spurs Arena, which ProBox TV will stream on its YouTube channel, will become the IBF’s number one contender for its junior middleweight champ, Bakhram Murtazaliev (23-0, 17 KOs).

Lubin (26-2, 18 KOs) is ranked third among the IBF’s 154-pound contenders, three spots atop the sixth-rated Holmes (17-0, 6 KOs). The No. 1 and No. 2 positions in the IBF’s junior middleweight top 15 are unoccupied.

“I’m sure he’s gonna come as the best Ardreal Holmes that you guys have ever seen,” Lubin told The Ring. “You know, he’s gonna be more cautious than ever, more sharp than ever. But I’m gonna break him down. I’m gonna hit him with shots he ain’t never felt. It’s gonna be more than just a physical war. It’s gonna be a lotta mental warfare. For me, it’s gonna be real brutal for him. Imma go in there and show him that there’s levels to this sport. There’s real deal levels to this.

“He could fight on ‘ShoBox’ and he could be undefeated, but it does not matter because he hasn’t fought anybody of this caliber yet. So, he don’t know what this is like, to be under these lights and in front of somebody that’s willing to die in there. It’s different. I’m telling you. It’s different when you’re in there with somebody that’s just mentally all the way sharp. I bring a mean skill set and I got a will to win that not too many people can take it there.”

Lubin, a southpaw from Orlando, Florida, has lost only to former unified junior middleweight champ Jermell Charlo (35-2-1, 19 KOs) and current WBC super welterweight champ Sebastian Fundora (22-1-1, 14 KOs).

The resilient Lubin rebuilt his career after Charlo knocked him out with one punch in the first round of their October 2017 bout at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. He also overcame a technical-knockout defeat to Fundora in what was one of the best action fights of 2022.

Lubin took more than a one-year break following his brutal bout with Fundora, but he beat veteran Luis Arias (22-4-1, 11 KOs) and previously undefeated Jesus Ramos (23-1, 19 KOs) in back-to-back bouts once he resumed his career. He hasn’t fought in 19 months, though, not since his 12-round unanimous points victory over Ramos in September 2023 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Holmes’ most recent victory occurred December 10, when he defeated Edwine Humaine (9-1, 7 KOs) by unanimous decision in another 10-rounder at Dort Financial Center in Holmes’ hometown of Flint, Michigan.

With a title shot at stake, the 30-year-old Holmes will also attempt to avenge his points loss to Lubin in the 152-pound final at the 2013 National Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions in Salt Lake City.

“I beat the guy pretty easy,” Lubin recalled. “The pros and the amateurs are totally different. I understand that. I’m still motivated. I’m going in there like I never fought this guy before. Whatever’s in the past is in the past.”