Erickson Lubin Vs. Sebastian Fundora: Odds, Records, Predictions

Six fights after suffering what at the time seemed like a catastrophic loss in the most important fight of his career, Erickson Lubin will face a tall task on Saturday. A very tall task in the 6-foot-6 Sebastian Fundora, an undefeated prospect who wants a shot at a junior middleweight title. Here’s everything you need to know about Erickson Lubin vs. Sebastian Fundora, including the odds, their records and a prediction on who will win.

In 2017, an undefeated Lubin clashed against Jermell Charlo, and even though Charlo wasn’t necessarily considered a power puncher, he destroyed Lubin and knocked him out in the first round.

The comeback for Lubin wasn’t easy, but he’s racked up a few nice wins recently, and he’s earned back his spot as a 154-pound contender. With a victory against Fundora on Saturday, he could possibly get a shot at the winner of the May 14 undisputed championship clash between Charlo and Brian Castano.

“This is my chance to show the world that I’m the best fighter in the division,” Lubin said. “This will separate me from all of the contenders I’ve been beating. I’ve been doing the champion’s job taking out all the contenders, so there’s no doubt in my mind that I will be running the division really soon. I have a really tall fighter in front of me in Sebastian Fundora, but I know how to make adjustments. We’ve brought in the right sparring and have prepared exactly how we’re supposed to.”

Fundora, who is best known for being abnormally tall for the junior middleweight division, has a nine-inch height advantage against Lubin. But just because you’re long and lean doesn’t mean you’ll be a great fighter. In reality, Fundora hasn’t necessarily looked world class lately. He didn’t have an easy time vs. Sergio Garcia last December, and against Jamontay Clark, who later got pummeled by contender-turned-gatekeeper Terrell Gausha, Fundora could only manage a draw.

If Lubin is as good as he has shown lately, he should probably handle Fundora. But Fundora doesn’t lack confidence. And yes, he does have skills and some solid power (and there are still questions surrounding Lubin’s chin).

“I learned against Garcia that I’m in great condition and that I can go into deep waters,” said Fundora. “I feel like I’ve improved a lot during this camp. It’s really everything. My boxing, my strength, my running and my overall conditioning is at a higher level. Everything is just peaking for me heading into this fight.”

Here’s more info on the Erickson Lubin vs. Sebastian Fundora showdown that U.S. viewers can watch on Showtime beginning at 10 p.m. ET on Saturday.

Erickson Lubin vs. Sebastian Fundora odds

Originally, this was a pure pick ‘em fight as both fighters were listed at -120 on the sports book. In the last few days, though, more of the money has come in on Lubin, and he’s now a -150 favorite (bet $150 to win $100) while Fundora is a slight underdog at +120 (win $120 on a $100 wager). If Fundora were to win, it’d probably be by decision, so it’d be a decent value to take him at +350 to do exactly that (he’s +300 to KO/TKO Lubin).

Either way, this still feels like a pick ‘em fight.

If you were looking for a fun parlay for this weekend’s action of boxing (and this is only for entertainment purposes), I might take Erickson Lubin to beat Sebastian Fundora at -150, Gennaidy Golovkin to beat Ryota Murata by stoppage at -163 and Gabe Rosado to beat Shane Mosley Jr. at -300. If all of those hit, you’d win $258 on a $100 bet. Oh, and a bonus: I think Tony Harrison (+200) will pull the upset on Sergio Garcia. If he does that and you add it to the parlay, it would pay an epic $975 on a $100 wager.

Erickson Lubin vs. Sebastian Fundora records

After his loss to Charlo, Lubin (24-1, 17 KOs) pummeled Ishe Smith (who never fought again). He used that momentum to beat Nathaniel Gallimore by wide decision, out-box former Olympian Terrell Gausha and knock out former unified titlist Jeison Rosario last June. At this point, there’s little doubt that Lubin is one of the five best junior middleweights in the world.

Though Fundora (18-0-1, 12 KOs) is coming off his most high profile victory against the then-undefeated Garcia, he didn’t look all that impressive. Still, he has plenty of height and some solid boxing skills. It isn’t easy for Fundora’s opponents to find his chin, and that could be Lubin’s biggest challenge on Saturday.

Erickson Lubin vs. Sebastian Fundora prediction

I’ve really been impressed by the way Lubin responded after the Charlo fight. I think he’s good enough to win a world title at junior middleweight. With the way Fundora has fought lately, I’m not quite as sold on him as many seem to be. If he can beat Lubin on Saturday, that’d be a great step in his career. But I’m thinking Lubin will find a way to continue his winning streak. Say, Lubin by close decision, somewhere in the 115-113 range.

Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshkatzowitz/2022/04/09/erickson-lubin-vs-sebastian-fundora-odds-records-predictions/