It didn’t take long for WBC super welterweight champ Jermell Charlo to finish off the undefeated 2016 ESPN.com prospect of the year Erick Lubin.
In the much-anticipated match between the two highly touted fighters, the drama was short-lived as Charlo leveled Lubin with a devastating single right uppercut in the first round of their Saturday night fight for the WBC’s 154-lb championship at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY.
It was a quick ending to what many thought would be a more methodical chess match between the combatants. As seen in the video above, the 27-year-old champ threw a few left jabs prior to landing the savage KO punch that buckled Lubin, before dropping him to the canvas. From there, referee Harvey Dock waved off the fight after counting to six.
Once finally able to get back on his feet, the seemingly disoriented Lubin, who pocketed $225,000 for his efforts, assured his handlers he was OK, and didn’t offer any excuses for his loss: “I’m fine. He caught me with a blind shot. I didn’t see it coming. He landed it. I felt like when I got up I could have kept fighting, but it’s boxing. It happens.” The defeated fighter went on to assure fight fans that he fully intends to return, “I’m young and have plenty of fight left in me. This is just a minor setback. I’ll be back sooner than later and hungrier than ever.”
As for Charlo, he’s already eyeing IBF champ Jarrett Hurd for a unification bout. “We’re going to unify. The other champions want to fight me and I’ll take any of them,” Charlo said. “Give me another title. I want Hurd. Hurd just won. Give me Hurd.”
For the sake of all boxing fans, let’s hope the champ gets what he wants.
