Patience is no longer a trait Erickson Lubin has.

The loss he suffered to Jermell Charlo in 2017 set him back, but he pushed past that first-round stoppage to win six straight. But just when it appeared as though he'd get a second shot at a world title, Sebastian Fundora derailed him again.

Still, he didn't complain. Lubin (27-2, 19 KOs) jumped back in the mix to grab three straight wins and his most recent one may have been the most meaningful. Not because he was able to silence Ardreal Holmes Jr on May 10, although he would've enjoyed that. More than anything, that victory solidifed his standing as next up for world championship honours.

Lubin has been in more IBF eliminators than he can remember. And even with unbeaten IBF junior middleweight champion Bakhram Murtazaliev (23-0, 17 KOs) publicly entertaining a contest between the pair, nothing has yet been solidifed.

Fundora will defend his WBC strap in a rematch against former titlist Tim Tszyu on July 19, Xander Zayas boxes Jorge Garcia Perez for the WBO belt Fundora vacated the following weekend while Terence Crawford is unlikely to return to 154-pounds as he gears up for a megafight with undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez on September 12.

Murtazaliev has been linked with a defence against British contender Josh Kelly (17-1-1, 9 KOs) and the 31-year-old from Sunderland sits at No. 3 with the WBC and IBF at present.

As the offers diminish and much-awaited fight news is increasingly difficult to come by, Lubin is determined to land another big fight by any means necessary - including whether that means knocking on the door of a divisional rising star and WBC interim titleholder.

"The top gets crowded," wrote Lubin on his X account that was directed to Vergil Ortiz. "Let's make it happen champ."

If anyone loves a good fight, it's Vergil Ortiz. But getting in there with Lubin relatively soon is a stretch. His disciplined 12-round decision win over Israil Madrimov on February 22 was a career-best result but equally came at a price as he underwent surgery on a broken hand.

The Ring's No. 2 ranked 154-pounder is said to be recovering well but is still a ways away from fighting anyone, his return tentatively slated for the final quarter of 2025.