Boxing fans hope that Vergil Ortiz Jr. and Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis are on a collision course for a mega-fight in 2026. But in order for Ortiz to make it happen, he will need to defeat a rugged Erickson Lubin first. The undefeated Ortiz (23-0, 21 KOs) will put his WBC interim junior middleweight title on the line against Lubin (27-2, 19 KOs) at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, and live on DAZN, on Saturday night. Fans can watch it live with a DAZN subscription. Monthly and annual options available With this showdown packing high stakes, DAZN tool a look at how 27 year-old Ortiz has fared in his last five fights.
Ortiz defeats Israil Madrimov by unanimous decision; February 22, 2025: Israil Madrimov had lost to Terence Crawford via unanimous decision months prior, so Vergil Ortiz Jr. wanted to see if he could dispose of the Uzbek fighter sooner. He couldn’t but Ortiz did earn another hard-fought unanimous decision, landing enough clean, eye-opening shots against a shifty Madrimov to retain his interim title.
Ortiz gets off canvas to edge Serhii Bohachuk; August 10, 2024: Prior to this bout, all of Ortiz’ 21 victories had been produced by knockout. But this fight against Bohachuk was different. Five months before, the Ukrainian had defeated Brian Mendoza via unanimous decision to claim the WBC interim 154-pound title, so Ortiz was expecting a hard-fought battle ... and he got just that. In his first time going the distance, Ortiz overcame two flash knockdowns — one in the first round, the second in the eighth — to fight effectively and furiously enough to secure a razor-thin majority decision. Judges scored it 113-113 and 114-112 (twice) to grant him the interim title in a “Fight of the Year” candidate and his toughest test to date.
Ortiz blasts Thomas Dulorme in first-round KO; April 27, 2024: Ortiz detonating a vicious left hook to the body was all it took to crumble Dulorme in a heap of pain toward a rousing first-round TKO. Having hardly broken a sweat, Ortiz used the spotlight to call out Tim Tszyu during his post-fight interview in the ring.
Ortiz destroys Fredrick Lawson in first-round TKO; January 6, 2024: Undefeated through 19 professional fights at the time, Ortiz made the leap up from welterweight and [against a cherry-picked opponent,] he did not waste time in proving that his power transfers over quite well. A stiff power jab followed by a barrage of unanswered punches against a cornered Lawson and the ref had seen enough to step in and stop the bout for an electric first-round stoppage. [Ortiz was coming off a long period of inactivity caused by rhabdomyolysis, a condition where damaged muscle tissue breaks down and releases proteins and electrolytes into the blood, which can cause organ damage. He has also experienced multiple bouts of the corona virus].
Ortiz produces ninth-round TKO over Michael McKinson; August 6, 2022: Middle-round adjustments helped Ortiz mash the gas pedal in crumpling McKinson to the canvas with a crippling body shot in the eighth round before blasting him to the body for another knockdown in the ninth and subsequent TKO as the bulldozing Ortiz continued to gain steam in his upward trajectory.
