A high-stakes junior middleweight matchup between Vergil Ortiz and Erickson Lubin is set to unfold Nov. 8 at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, on DAZN, Golden Boy Promotions announced Thursday.

The fight surfaced as a real possibility last week when Ortiz, the WBC interim titleholder, couldn’t get a deal done with WBO titleholder Xander Zayas. And Lubin preferred to take a higher-paying fight against Ortiz rather than move forward with his shot as the IBF mandatory challenger to Bakhram Murtazaliev’s title.

“Vergil Ortiz Jr. is the most ducked fighter in boxing — period,” promoter Oscar De La Hoya said in a statement. “Big names talk tough until Vergil’s name comes up, then suddenly the phone goes silent. I commend Erickson Lubin; he has the guts that these fighters nowadays lack — courage.

"He has dared to enter Vergil’s den. On Nov. 8 at Dickies Arena, fans are going to see why everyone else keeps running from Vergil Ortiz Jr.”

Ortiz is The Ring’s No. 2-rated fighter at 154 pounds, Lubin is listed at No. 7.

Ortiz (23-0, 21 KOs) last fought in February, when he scored a career-best unanimous decision victory against former titleholder Israil Madrimov. Ortiz had surgery on his right hand after the fight.

The 27-year-old Texan came into the Madrimov matchup having survived two knockdowns during a war and majority decision over Serhii Bohachuk last summer.

“The Hammer” Lubin (27-2, 19 KOs) notched an 11th-round unanimous decision win against Ardreal Holmes in May to set himself up as Murtazaliev’s IBF mandatory challenger.

All signs pointed toward Lubin facing the Russian, and a purse bid was set for Aug. 19. However, Lubin ultimately opted for the better-paying, higher-profile fight against Ortiz in his rival’s hometown instead of a title shot against the equally dangerous Murtazaliev.

Before beating Holmes, Lubin, 29, scored a career-best win against Jesus Ramos in 2023. Lubin has beaten Jeison Rosario, Terrell Gausha, Ishe Smith and Jorge Cota. His losses have come against Sebastian Fundora by ninth-round stoppage in a 2022 fight of the year contender and a first-round knockout against Jermell Charlo in 2017.