Vergil Ortiz (23-0, 21 KO) will face a demanding opponent tonight, in which he will face the fifth-ranked junior middleweight Erickson Lubin (27-2, 19 KO). The match will take place at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, 20 miles from Ortiz’s hometown of Grand Prairie.
Lubin is ready to go into the lion’s den and try to play lion tamer. Two-time super lightweight world champion Regis Prograis believes that Lubin is underrated by many and will surprise them with his performance today.
Prograis has been working with Lubin this camp and from what he saw in Las Vegas, he believes he will give Ortiz everything he can handle. Regis sees a hungry fighter with something to prove and someone who has learned a lot after two losses to Sebastian Fundora and Jermell Charlo. He has learned to be smarter and will look to take a tactical approach that will reduce the damage he takes while boxing, using his agility and elusiveness.
Minimizing your exposure will lead to less time spent in your pocket. He’s facing a fighter in Ortiz who has a 91.3% knockout rate. He suffered earnest injuries in the match against Fundora due to his overly combative nature resulting from his desire to trade with the 6ft 6in player.
Since that match, Lubin has won three matches in a row and hopes to continue his good streak against Ortiz. He knows that another defeat will disrupt his progress and could end his further progress towards a world title. Ortiz is as tough an opponent as those who inflicted two defeats on Lubin. Vergil has a jab connection rate of 25.8%, which is one of the highest in the sport (Compubox). Lubin’s success will depend on how well he can defend Vergil’s stab. Prograis didn’t pick the winner because he knows what both players are like; will be present tonight as a spectator and hopes to enjoy a great fight. He knows Ortiz is a talented fighter who will be tested by an ambitious fighter with a chip on his shoulder.
The winner of this match is expected to have a superfight with Jaron “Boots” Ennis sometime next year. Boots is expected to be in attendance to witness first-hand who his next potential opponent might be.
Ennis recently stated that he is looking to fight the winner and will look to collect all the titles in the division in hopes of becoming the undisputed champion. Fans’ interest in the Ortiz-Ennis fight is huge, and its result today could only be interrupted by an upset Lubin. The 154-pound division will soon become one of the most exhilarating divisions in boxing if the top fighters do what they say and fight each other.
Oscar De La Hoya believes Gervonta Davis’ professional record should see a loss ahead of his potential comeback fight.
It is said that the 31-year-old is in negotiations for a fight for the WBA lightweight title with Floyd Schofield Jr, offering “Tank” the opportunity to regain his elderly belt.
Davis defended his world title after: controversial draw with Lamont Roach in March 2025, but has since become the sanctioning body’s “halt champion” at 135 pounds.
This is partly due to his passivity, but also to the American’s problems outside the ring, where he faced accusations of domestic violence.
However, it currently appears that Davis could return to action soon, with a potential fight with Schofield set for September or October.
These negotiations involve Schofield’s promoter, Golden Boy boss De La Hoya, who insists that “Tank” should suffer his first professional defeat in the match against Roach.
Their match ended in a draw after referee Steve Willis ruled against a knockdown in round nine when Davis clearly touched the canvas following a shot by Roach.
As a result, De La Hoya said Fighting Hub TV that Roach should have back-to-back victories over “Tank” and Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz, whom he boxed in December to a less controversial draw.
“Roach is a great fighter in his own right. He has some really good wins under his belt. I say he wins because I think he really won against ‘Tank’ Davis and I think he did a great job against ‘Pitbull.’
If Davis and Schofield’s respective teams are unable to reach an agreement by June 22, their mandate quarterback will be sent to a bidding hearing.
Potential negotiations between Devin Haney and Shakur Stevenson have taken another public turn after Stevenson accused his rival of engaging in “false public negotiations” following Haney’s latest comments on social media.
Haney appeared frustrated after previously agreeing to Stevenson’s proposed catchweight of 144 pounds, suggesting that even accepting those terms did not bring the fight any closer to becoming a reality.
“144 is not enough…I still don’t want to fight! Damn…@ShakurStevenson,” Haney wrote X.
Shakur later responded by dismissing this public exchange as a impoverished reflection of how main event fights actually unfold.
“The same thing you all did with Rolly. All those counterfeit public negotiations… The real negotiations take place offline.” I am the truth that you will see when you stand before me!!” Shakur posted.
Shakiur previously considered 144 pounds to be a fair compromise in a potential showdown with Haney, who has competed at welterweight in his most recent outings. Haney then signaled his willingness to accept the catchweight offer, sparking optimism that one of boxing’s most talked-about fights could gain momentum.
The latest exchange came shortly after the WBO confirmed that Haney must either defend his welterweight title against mandatory challenger Keyshawn Davis or risk losing the belt. While neither Haney nor Stevenson directly addressed the situation in their recent posts, the article did add another note to any future negotiations involving the former two-division world champions.
With Haney facing a WBO title decision and Shakur insisting that stern negotiations will take place behind closed doors, the pressure is now on both camps to determine whether the fight can go beyond an online exchange.
Dan Ambrose is a boxing journalist at Boxing News 24, respected for his direct analysis and extensive coverage of the global fight landscape. His reports focus on the most critical fights, division development and the most discussed stories in sports.
Shakur Stevenson maintained his predictions for the Errol Spence Jr vs. Tim Tszyu fight, believing that one fighter would be too “mentally tough” for the other.
Even though Tszyu insisted on fighting at super welterweight, his opponent clearly felt the extra 4 pounds would be appropriate after his three-year layoff.
This long break came after Spence suffered a ninth-round stoppage loss to Terence Crawford, who became the undisputed king of the 147-pound division in surprisingly one-sided fashion.
Spence previously held the WBC, IBF and WBA titles with victories over Shawn Porter, Kell Brook and Yordenis Ugas, although a weight augment always seemed inevitable.
Now the 36-year-old hopes to revive his career against Tszyu, who is coming off a two-point win after losing to Sebastian Fundora last July.
While their rematch ended in the seventh round, Tszyu showed tremendous strength against Fundora in 2024, only to lose the WBO title via split decision.
Later that year, the Australian suffered a third-round defeat to Bakhram Murtazaliev, with four-division world champion Stevenson saying: The whole fight against smoke that he thinks Spence is a level above him.
“I think so [Spence] I will do well. I wish Errol all the best; I hope Errol goes in there and beats Tim Tszyu.
“I’m an Errol Spence fan; I was okay with Errol Spence before [Crawford] fight. I know Errol is mentally forceful – Errol is a dog when it comes to fighting, so I don’t think Tim Tszyu can beat him.
Stevenson previously suggested that Spence could “destroy” Tszyu, believing the 31-year-old’s style was tailor-made for “The Truth.”
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