IBF junior middleweight champion Bakhram Murtazaliev’s promoter is negotiating a fight against his mandatory challenger, Erickson Lubin, for later this year.
Lance Pugmire reports that Murtazaliev initially planned to get an exception to delay the Lubin (27-2, 19 KOs) title defense to face Josh Kelly, but it wasn’t possible. It’s better for U.S fans that the fight isn’t happening, as there wouldn’t be much interest in a clash between Murtazaliev and Kelly. It would be perceived as a mismatch in favor of Bakhram.
Lubin’s Title Pursuit
Lubin, 29, has been pushing for the Murtazaliev (23-0, 17 KOs) title fight since knocking out Ardreal Holmes Jr. on May 10th. He’s been vocal about wanting his rightful title shot against the IBF champion, and now it looks like it’s going to happen.
Murtazaliev’s promoter, Kathy Duva, also wanted to make a fight against WBC interim 154-lb champion Vergil Ortiz Jr. Turki Alalshikh attempted to make the fight. Ortiz Jr. didn’t wish to take it due to the IBF’s 10-lb fight-date rehydration rule. It would have been a problem for him. Interestingly, Vergil Jr. moved up to 154 in 2024. It’s not as if he’s been fighting in the junior middleweight division for years. He just arrived a year ago.
Lubin has won his last three fights since being stopped in the ninth round by Sebastian Fundora in 2022. That fight was a war with Erickson down in round 3, Fundora hitting the canvas in the seventh, and the referee halting the contest after the ninth round at the request of Lubin’s trainer.
Erickson suffered from bad swelling of his face and was too beaten up to be permitted to continue. Lubin’s other career defeat came against Jermell Charlo when he was knocked out in the first round on October 14, 2017.
Bakhram looked like a beast in his last fight, knocking out former WBO 154-lb champion Tim Tszyu in the third round on October 19, 2024. Murtazaliev dropped Tszyu three times in the second round and once in the third.
Last Updated on 07/15/2025
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