The IBF is looking for the next mandatory challenger for junior middleweight titleholder Bakhram Murtazaliev.
The sanctioning body has ordered a fight between contender Erickson Lubin and prospect Ardreal Holmes Jnr, according to a press release from Holmes’ promoter, Salita Promotions. The winner will be rated first by the IBF and at the front of the line for a shot at Murtazaliev.
Murtazaliev (23-0, 17 KOs) won the vacant IBF title in April with an 11th-round knockout of Jack Culcay. He then defended it in October with a sensational third-round TKO of Tim Tszyu.
Lubin is currently ranked third by the IBF while Holmes is ranked eighth. The top two slots are empty. Rated between these two men are Josh Kelly, Xander Zayas, Callum Walsh and Jesus Ramos Jnr.
Lubin (26-2, 18 KOs) challenged for a world title once before but was knocked out by Jermell Charlo in one round in 2017. Lubin then put together a six-fight winning streak, only to be stopped after battling for nine rounds with Sebastian Fundora in April 2022. He’s notched two more victories since, though he hasn’t fought since a controversial unanimous decision over Ramos in September 2023.
Holmes (16-0, 6 KOs) first has to win his fight this Saturday against Edwin Humaine Jnr. (9-0, 7 KOs), who also goes by Edwin Junior Jimenez. The 30-year-old Holmes will be performing for the second straight time in front of his hometown crowd at the Dort Financial Center in Flint, Michigan.
“I was really excited to hear the news from the IBF,” Holmes said. “It’s hard to put into words, to be honest, because this is everything that I have been working toward. This definitely puts more pressure on my fight this week, but it’s good pressure. I've been in talks with my promoter, Dmitriy [Salita], and he's been telling me he’s working on a significant opportunity, so I could feel this coming.
“But it's time now to tune everything out and dial in for this week’s fight. Where I am at in my life and in my career, I know that I need to perform at my best in every fight. Edwin is coming to try to beat me and take everything that I've been working for, and I am not going to let that happen. We'll revisit my next fight and celebrate this milestone when the time comes. For now, I’ve got some business to tend to in Flint.”
David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter and . He is the co-host of the . David’s book, “,” is available on Amazon.