Fort Worth – Vergil Ortiz Jr. delivered a decisive performance Saturday night, stopping Erickson Lubin in the second round at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. The unbeaten Texan successfully defended his interim WBC super welterweight title via technical knockout.
Ortiz overwhelmed Lubin along the ropes early in the second round, unleashing sustained offense as his opponent struggled to defend himself. The referee halted the action at 1:30 of the round, awarding Ortiz his 24th career victory and 22nd by knockout.
The win marked Ortiz’s second successful defense of the interim belt and reinforced his standing among the division’s elite. Lubin, a former world title challenger from Orlando, Florida, was unable to capitalize on another opportunity to capture championship gold.
Ortiz credited the result to patience and execution rather than reckless aggression, noting that he took advantage of openings as they appeared. He pushed back against the notion that he relies solely on pressure, emphasizing that calculated adjustments and ring intelligence were key to the quick finish.
Following the bout, Ortiz faced off with Jaron “Boots” Ennis, signaling a highly anticipated matchup that is widely expected to take place in 2026.
Ortiz vs Lubin undercard
The co-feature between Darius Fulghum (14-1-1, 12 KOs) of El Paso, Texas, and David Stevens (15-2-1, 10 KOs) of Reading, Pennsylvania, was ruled a majority draw. After 10 rounds at super middleweight, one judge scored the fight 96-94 for Fulghum, while the other two judges scored it 95-95.
Amari Jones (15-0, 13 KOs) of Oakland, California, made a successful Golden Boy debut, defeating Shady Gamhour (14-3, 9 KOs) of Pensacola, Florida, by third-round TKO. Jones knocked his opponent down twice near the end of the round. The middleweight bout was stopped at 2:54 of the round.
Joshua Edwards (5-0, 5 KOs) of Houston, Texas, dominated Las Vegas native Zeno Vooris (5-2, 5 KOs) en route to a third-round TKO victory. The heavyweight bout was stopped at 2:34 of the round. The referee halted the fight after a ringside official – either the ringside doctor or a representative from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) – ordered the contest stopped.
Kicking off the telecast, Swedish-born Robin Safar (19-0, 13 KOs) of Las Vegas defeated Derick Miller Jr. (18-1, 10 KOs) of Willmore, Michigan, by unanimous decision. After 10 rounds at cruiserweight, the judges scored it 99-90, 99-90, and 98-91.
