Vergil Ortiz Jr. returns to action on Saturday in defense of his interim WBC junior middleweight title against former welterweight title challenger Erickson Lubin in Fort Worth, Texas (DAZN, 8 p.m. ET).

Ortiz, 27, is one of Golden Boy Promotions’ fastest rising stars and is the No. 1 ranked junior middleweight according to ESPN, even though he is not the full title holder. The mighty Ortiz will be looking to make a statement against Lubin (27-2, 19 KO), an opponent who enters the fight as an underdog (+550 per ESPN BET) but has experience and strength.

Massive things lie ahead for Ortiz (23-0, 17 KO), who intends to fulfill the prophecy made to him by promoter Oscar De La Hoya a few years ago, when he was at the beginning of his professional career. However, Ortiz can’t look too far ahead when it comes to potential fights with Jaron “Boots” Ennis or WBO titleholder Xander Zayas until he takes care of things in the ring this weekend.

ESPN takes a look at five things to watch out for when Ortiz faces Lubin in Saturday’s 154-pound clash.

Who will Ortiz mention in the post-fight interview?

All eyes will be on what Ortiz (-900 per ESPN BET) will say if he is victorious on Saturday night. He is in an unusual position – he is the highest-ranked fighter in the division, even though he does not hold a world title. He has nothing to defend and must pursue what he wants at 154 pounds. What he says in the ring will be crucial, because he has no shortage of suitors. The list of possible opponents includes Zayas, Ennis and WBC champion Sebastian Fundora.

Will Ortiz fight for the championship, and if so, will he call out Zayas or maybe Fundora? Or will he look for the best fight in the division, the long-awaited showdown with Ennis? No one will want to hear Ortiz say he’ll leave the choice to his team. He’s had enough barking on social media and he certainly has bite. It was time for Ortiz to take his shot.

Will Ortiz start a novel KO streak?

After starting his career with 21 stoppage victories, Ortiz has gone the distance in his last two fights – wins over Israil Madrimov and Serhii Bohachuk. Madrimov’s result is not surprising considering his only previous loss was to Terence Crawford and his playing style is intricate and readable. However, Ortiz injured Madrimov multiple times in the fight. Bohachuk could be considered Ortiz’s “night of the night,” where he won by majority decision despite being knocked down twice.

Lubin is less hard-wearing than Madrimov and Bohachuk and has lost by knockout to Fundora and Jermell Charlo. “The Hammer” has yet to lose on the scorecard, so it will be compelling to see if Ortiz can finish him off. Power is an compelling thing in boxing. Most fighters’ knockout percentages decline as they move up to higher-ranking competitions. Ortiz is known for his devastating power, but what happens when an opponent withstands this vaunted knockout ability? Is he good enough to beat the best junior middleweights after starting his career at junior welterweight?

Can Lubin test Ortiz’s chin?

Lubin is a powerful striker who tore through his opponent. Outside of his first-round loss to Charlo, Lubin has a habit of knocking down his opponents. Even after losing to Fundora, Lubin shocked the current WBC champion several times and eliminated him from cumulative penalties in the seventh round. Ortiz showed sensitivity and touched the canvas several times. Depending on how Ortiz chooses to fight Lubin, he could open himself up to the power of “The Hammer.” In some ways, this is a trap fight because Lubin is not expected to win, but he is hazardous enough to cause an upset.

Can Lubin win the large fight?

Lubin was once considered a future world champion, but has yet to win gold in his 12-year professional career. When he faced Charlo for the WBC title in 2017 and was knocked out in the first round, he was a slight underdog. He seemed to pick himself up over the next few fights, destroying former unified champion Jeison Rosario in 2021 to earn another title shot. Unfortunately, he failed to defeat Fundora in one of the best fights of 2022, which ended in the 9th round after Lubin took too much punishment. Although the fight with Ortiz is only for an interim title, it may be Lubin’s last chance to get closer to a world title. At 30 years ancient and entering his 30th professional fight, he cannot afford another defeat. Ortiz is hazardous, but Lubin’s sneaky power can turn the fight around. Lubin said this fight is about redemption and he will have to prove it on Saturday.

Can Ortiz win the world title and how?

If Ortiz manages to defend the interim WBC title in the match against Lubin, he will be in line to fight the winner of the Fundora vs. fight next year. Thurman. The problem is that Fundora is sidelined due to a hand injury, and the fight with Thurman – originally scheduled for October 28 – has not yet set a novel date. Ortiz is also promoted by Golden Boy and fights on DAZN, while Thurman and Fundora compete for the Premier Boxing Champions title on Amazon Prime. It’s not an impossible task, but Ortiz must overcome obstacles to win the WBC title. He is not ranked in the top 15 of the WBO, IBF or WBA rankings, which would be necessary to challenge titleholders Zayas, Bakhram Murtazaliev and Abass Baraou, respectively. If he decides to fight “Boots” next, he will have to wait until the second half of 2026 at the earliest to aspire to the title.