Orlando boxer shadowed by memories
Erickson Lubin will enter the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., tonight with victories in all 18 of his previous professional fights, 13 by knockouts.
The Orlando native has amassed that unblemished record, four years in the making, the old-fashioned way. It has been wellearned and hard-fought, but being undefeated is misleading in Lubin’s case.
It implies he has not experienced loss.
“Todd was a kind dude,’’ Lubin said. “We had a great relationship. He took me to a whole bunch of tournaments and paid for them — as well as my coach, Jason Galarza — when I couldn’t afford them. I just made sure I didn’t make their money go to waste.’’
Two weeks after his 22nd birthday, Lubin will look for the big payoff — his first pro title — when he meets WBC super welterweight champion Jermell Charlo (29-0, 14 KOs) as part of a televised boxing card (10 p.m., Showtime).
Lubin will honor the memory of Todd Harlib, his former cutman, during the scheduled 12-round fight by wearing trunks bearing his name and placing an empty stool in his corner.
Harlib, 48, died last November.
“A brother,’’ Galarza said of his close friend. “We spoke three times a day every day for the last 10 years. I miss him tremendously. He was a great asset.
“Without him being here, I have so much more on my plate.’’
Lubin will fight for the third time since Harlib’s death this weekend. He is coming off perhaps his most impressive victory, a fourthround disposal of Jorge Cota by TKO in March. That fight in the 154-pound weight class also was at the Barclays Center.
Lubin, a southpaw, was selected as the 2016 ESPN.com boxing prospect of the year.
“One of the things I think about when I [choose top prospects] is, ‘Is this guy going to be ready for a world title, say, in the next year, year-and-a-half?’ ’’ ESPN.com boxing writer Dan Rafael said. “[Lubin] is ready to fight for a world title. I might have wanted to see him in at least one more fight against a decent contender, a top contender, before he jumped up to the level of Charlo.
“Charlo is a legit guy. Nothing’s easy about him.’’
Lubin, whose first child, Malachi Michael, was born in August, has heard the talk that others deserve this opportunity more. The chatter is motivational fuel, not that Lubin has needed an extra push to get this far.
“I’ve been beating up on grown men since I was about 13 years old,’’ Lubin said. “He’s the champion. Pretty much, I don’t really think he’s favored, but I’m the underdog. I just have to go in there and stay composed. Just break him down and take him out.’’ Charlo, 27, is taking notes. “He’s been running his mouth a lot lately,’’ he said in the final news conference before the fight. “Hopefully I make him pay for the mistakes he’s making.’’
All that talk will be muted once the first punch is thrown and Lubin attempts to become the latest boxer with Central Florida ties to become a world champion. Antonio Tarver, Pinklon Thomas and Hector Camacho Jr. have done it. Is Lubin next? “This is a coin-flip fight,’’ Rafael said. “My heart says Lubin. My head says Charlo.’’
Either way, Lubin will keep Harlib’s memory alive.
It reminds him of the good times — and the type of loss that doesn’t go away. THE FACTS