Erickson Lubin remarks that he has been world-ranked for the best part of a decade and sighs with a sense of gratitude.

Having been out of the ring for almost two full years, Lubin isn’t often mentioned as a player in one of boxing’s hottest divisions, as more recent headlines have been grabbed by Vergil Ortiz Jnr, Terence Crawford, Sebastian Fundora, Israil Madrimov, Bakhram Murtazaliev and Tim Tszyu.

But at 29, and with both boxing and life experiences banked and learned from, Lubin can smile knowing that he has had the chance to realize the errors of his ways while he is still a young man.

Many fighters retire wondering what might have happened if they had done things differently. This second act of Lubin’s career – which starts with an IBF junior middleweight title eliminator against Ardreal Holmes on ProBox TV on Saturday – will allow Lubin a second bite at what it was predicted he might do the first time around.

“That's when people get it twisted, man,” Lubin said. “I've been in this game so long, and I’ve been at the top so long that they think I’m, like, hitting 40 or something. I’m just 29 years old. I’m still in my prime. I just entered my prime. So what they’ll see now from me is just, like, explosion, explosion and me at my best, you know? Me, my most smart. I got experience, so it’s all gonna play in my favor this time.”

The type of regrets that could linger in retirement can potentially be banished by what comes next.

Focus is key. That is something Lubin admits he lacked in the past.

“I do feel like that. That’s why I got back with G-Man [Garry Jonas, of ProBox TV, and owner of BoxingScene]. I feel like in the past, I wasn’t really always focused, and now’s the time, though. Now’s the time.”

When Lubin turned pro, eyebrows were raised that a possible US Olympic medalist had jettisoned the amateur code at such a young age. It also meant that all eyes were on him from the start, and that brought hype and pressure that proved difficult to handle.

“And I think that’s why I underachieved a little bit, because I got caught up in the hype a little bit and [from] not really putting in all the work. I feel like I underachieved. But I still got a solid career going on right now. I’m still No. 1 in the world right now in the IBF, and I feel like I underachieved because people got expectations of me.”

The word – “underachieve” – resonates with Lubin, and it is one he returns to in describing what drives him now.

“I feel like I’ve underachieved. I underachieved for sure,” he continued. “That's why I’m still so hungry. I’m hungry like a prospect, but I feel like I underachieved. I haven’t solidified myself as a world champion yet, but I feel like this year is the year. It’s the year for me, and I’m excited. I got my second undefeated fighter in a row, my second southpaw in a row, and then after this one, we’re gonna have [IBF champion Bakhram] Murtazaliev, who’s another undefeated fighter. I’m taking no prisoners, man. I’m one of those guys that [will] really fight anybody.” 

The previous undefeated fighter Lubin alluded to was Arizona’s Jesus Ramos Jnr, who went 12 tight rounds with Lubin in Las Vegas on a Saul “Canelo” Alvarez card before losing a disputed decision in September 2023.

Lubin remains open to the criticism he received from that night and is willing to admit it might have been warranted.

“A little bit,” he said. “Because of the expectations. People expect me to go in there and look very impressive. I’m one of those fighters, man. I’m one of them ones, and they definitely wanted to see me go out there and perform better, for sure. And I expected it for myself, but I had a lot of complications going on before that fight, and I’m just happy I walked away with the win. I watch that fight all the time.

“After the Ramos fight, I feel like I could’ve done way better. I feel like I could’ve dominated that fight a little bit more. Way better, way better, way better. But a win is a win. I do feel like I won the fight, though. Don’t get it twisted, I do feel like I won the fight. But yeah, man, these last months, these last 20 months, or however long it's been, it’s been growing pains, man.

“I don’t know why people got a lot to say about that fight, but I do feel like I won that fight. But we can run it back. We can definitely run it back. Right now, the focus is on Ardreal Holmes, and then capturing one of those titles, either for Fundora or Murtazaliev. But immediately after that, I'll do Ramos a favor and give him a rematch with a title.”

Ramos did not do Lubin any favors in Vegas, and Lubin has since been out of the spotlight, something that he is now hungrier than ever to reclaim before it is too late.

“[I’ve been] just rebuilding, rebuilding, dealing with injuries, getting back in there,” Lubin said.

“I got back with my main man, G-Man, Garry Jonas. He's one of those people that kept me in check, always. Always kept me in check, always kept me accountable, always kept me responsible. And I got back around him, we had some months off. I mean, we had some years off. It’s been growing pains for me. And I’m back May 10. I’m gonna let it all out, let all my energy out in the ring. And I’m looking to come away with an impressive win. I’m looking to stop this undefeated fighter.”

In Las Vegas last month, Lubin and Holmes trained side-by-side with little to say to one another. But at the end of the public workout, as they posed for pictures head-to-head, the touch paper was lit. Following a couple of minutes of back-and-forth, the situation escalated. There was a shove, words were exchanged, smack was talked and Holmes was ushered from the gym before things got out of hand. 

There is respect there, but both fighters need a win to get to the next level.

“I fought him in the amateurs, but amateurs don't matter,” Lubin said. “I did have my way in the amateurs with him. But in the pros, we got 12 rounds, so it's gonna be even more brutal. And I know he's hungry. He’s 17-0. He don’t want to lose his ‘0.’ But I’m here to crush him. I’m here to stop him. I’m here to do some bad things and elevate, keep elevating, and contend for one of these titles in the near future, this year.”

A world title bout with the Tszyu destroyer Murtazaliev and former foe Fundora, with whom Lubin had a Fight of the Year contender in April 2022 before losing in nine rounds, are the motivators. So is embedding himself in the bigger picture at 154lbs.

“I’ve always been a part of it,” he insisted of the division that is presently one of boxing’s most jam-packed. “I was here when Jarett Hurd and [Julian] ‘J-Rock’ Williams and [Jermell] Charlo [who caught Lubin cold in 2017] and all these guys – I was there for that, and I’m still here. It’s interesting to see the changes happen. … More people coming to the weight class, different prospects, different contenders built up and getting to this elite level. So it’s exciting to see how it plays out. I feel like I’m gonna be the last man standing, though.”

Of Vergil Ortiz, Lubin refers to his lack of experience at the weight – despite Ortiz’s having fought against quality operators in Serhii Bohachuk and Madrimov – and said: “I beat champions in this weight class. I beat top prospects. I beat the Olympians in this weight class. I beat everybody. I fought everybody.”

Lubin did not beat Fundora, but he wants to get that one back. 

“Yeah, hell yeah,” he replied. “Hell yeah. Me and Fundora, you know, we’re lining that back up to happen on pay-per-view. It’s gonna be big. It’s gonna be a big year for me. I’m just staying focused and taking care of whoever gets in my way. There’s guys, I don't wanna name no names, but there’s a lot of guys that take losses, and people are still so excited to see them and still rooting for them, and they still become world champion, and I feel like one of those fighters. People always wanna see me. I always come to fight, always come to win, and I feel like it's only gonna get better from here, because I’ve learned what I had to learn in the past. I’m here. I’m focused. It’s the most dedicated and most focused I’ve ever been.”

But the talk means nothing if Holmes upsets the applecart. Rangy, tricky and ambitious, Holmes is keen to turn Lubin from contender into gatekeeper.

“He moves well. He moves well, for sure, and he’s tall,” Lubin said. “He likes to box a little bit, but I do feel like my boxing is better. I do feel like I’m stronger than him. I do feel like I’m gonna stop him.”

Is there bad blood?

“Nah, ain’t no bad blood. This is business, man. We fought in the amateurs. It was actually my last amateur fight. I fought him in the Golden Gloves finals, and I beat him fairly easy. But I’m not overlooking this kid. I’m not overlooking him at all. He’s 17-0. He doesn’t wanna lose, so he wants to keep his ‘0,’ and I wanna take this to higher levels, and I wanna contend for the biggest money and the biggest paydays and all the belts.”

But Lubin has been around the sport long enough to know it is not merely about titles and money. Before he is done, he wants to cement his place in the sport and be remembered by future generations. It all sounds so ambitious in the current climate, with so many formidable obstacles to ascend and overtake, but he is nonetheless enthused by the opportunity of ascending among the biggest names at junior middleweight.

“It excites me. It definitely does excite me,” Lubin said. “Like I said, I wanna fight everybody. I wanna fight all the big names. I wanna be a Hall of Famer. I know a lot of people nowadays don’t like to really talk about legacy. They wanna talk about money and collect the biggest paydays, but I want both. I want the biggest paydays, and I do wanna solidify a legacy. Now. I want people to remember me when I’m gone as one of the best 154lbers or one of the best fighters to ever do this.”

Tris Dixon covered his first amateur boxing fight in 1996. The former editor of Boxing News, he has written for a number of international publications and newspapers, including GQ and Men’s Health, and is a board member for the Ringside Charitable Trust and the Ring of Brotherhood. He has been a broadcaster for TNT Sports and hosts the popular “Boxing Life Stories” podcast. Dixon is a British Boxing Hall of Famer, an International Boxing Hall of Fame elector, is on The Ring ratings panel and is the author of five boxing books, including “Damage: The Untold Story of Brain Trauma in Boxing” (shortlisted for the William Hill Sportsbook of the Year), “Warrior: A Champion’s Search for His Identity” (shortlisted for the Sunday Times International Sportsbook of the Year) and “The Road to Nowhere: A Journey Through Boxing’s Wastelands.” You can reach him @trisdixon on X and Instagram.