Jermell Charlo vs Erickson Lubin

A single right hand ended what had been presented as the most evenly matched contest on a three-title programme at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. Jermell Charlo required only two minutes and 41 seconds to knock out the unbeaten Erickson Lubin and retain the WBC light-middleweight championship before an announced crowd of 7,643 on October 14, 2017. No scorecards were needed, and scarcely enough punches had been exchanged to suggest how abruptly the evening would turn.

Charlo, 27, entered with a record of 29 victories without defeat and was making the second defence of the championship he had won by stopping John Jackson in May 2016. His first defence, against Charles Hatley, had also ended in a decisive knockout. Lubin, a 22-year-old southpaw from Orlando, was unbeaten in 18 contests and had stopped 13 opponents. Regarded as one of the most promising young fighters in America, he had secured his mandatory position by knocking out Jorge Cota in four rounds seven months earlier. The challenger possessed speed, power and confidence, but had never before met an opponent of Charlo’s experience or quality.

The opening round was conducted cautiously. Lubin moved to his right from the southpaw position, keeping his lead hand active without committing himself, while Charlo watched closely and sought the distance for his right. Neither man established the jab, and there were few clean blows during the first two minutes. Lubin’s quick feet enabled him to remain outside, but his habit of bending deeply at the waist brought his head towards Charlo whenever the distance shortened. The champion remained composed, made no unnecessary advance and waited for that movement to be repeated.

Near the end of the round, the two came together at close quarters. Lubin dipped low and forward, apparently expecting a punch to the body or preparing to slip beneath Charlo’s attack. Charlo shortened his right hand and drove it upwards and across into the challenger’s exposed head. The punch travelled only a small distance, but Lubin did not see it. His legs failed immediately, and he fell awkwardly to his left, his body folded beneath him near the ropes. It was not a knockdown from which an ordinary count offered much prospect of recovery. Referee Harvey Dock looked at Lubin’s condition and stopped the contest without completing one. The official time was 2:41 of the first round.

Lubin subsequently regained his feet and said that he believed he could have continued, though he also accepted that the stoppage was fair. There was little reasonable complaint. The challenger had been caught by a blow he never saw and had lost control of his body on the way down. A disturbance followed the decision, with a member of Lubin’s party throwing a chair toward Charlo’s twin brother, Jermall, but the disorder was quickly contained.

The result advanced Charlo’s standing in a strong light-middleweight division. On the same programme, Jarrett Hurd retained the IBF championship against Austin Trout, while Erislandy Lara defended the WBA title against Terrell Gausha. Charlo immediately called for Hurd, seeking another championship belt. Lubin’s advancement had proved premature on this occasion, but the defeat resulted from one serious technical error rather than a prolonged exposure of his ability. For Charlo, the contest supplied a plain demonstration of timing and economy: he studied one defensive movement, waited for it to recur, and finished the fight with the first fully committed right hand he threw.

I thought Lubin was an outstanding prospect, but this fight came far too early. He had speed, power and the southpaw angles, yet he had never shared a ring with anyone carrying Charlo’s timing, composure and spite. Knocking out Jorge Cota earned him the opportunity, but being the mandatory challenger did not mean he was ready for the champion.

Very little happened until the finish, but Charlo was already reading him. Lubin kept dipping low at the waist when the distance closed, bringing his head forward and leaving himself unable to see the right hand. Charlo did not waste punches. He waited, shortened the right uppercut and caught Lubin squarely as he folded down. The punch travelled no great distance, which is precisely why it was so damaging. Lubin never saw it and collapsed in an alarming position.

I had no argument with Harvey Dock stopping it immediately at 2:41 of the opening round. Lubin rose afterwards, but that proves nothing about his condition when he hit the floor. Charlo’s victory was clinical and technically excellent. Lubin was not exposed as a poor fighter; he was exposed as a gifted young man who had been advanced before he had learned enough to conceal his habits against an experienced world champion.