Erickson Lubin calls for Jermell Charlo rematch after Terrell Gausha victory

Junior middleweight contender Erickson ‘Hammer’ Lubin 23-1 (16) scored a 12-round unanimous decision win over Terrell Gausha 21-2-1 (10) in a WBC world title eliminator at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut on Saturday night.

Lubin was in control for most of the fight but was rocked in the 10th round by Gausha, who was unable to follow up. When the dust settled, the judges had it 115-113, 116-112 and 118-110.

“I’d give myself a B- tonight. I think the layoff had a little to do with it, but Gausha is a top competitor. He’s at the top of the weight class for a reason. I just want to stay active and get my title shot,” Lubin said.

“It was a chess match. He respected what I have, and I knew I needed to stay smart. He was trying to counter me when I feinted, and I just knew to be cautious. My trainer told me to not get hit with anything stupid, so I just stayed focused.”

The victory puts the 24-year-old southpaw in line for a rematch with WBC junior middleweight champion Jermell Charlo 33-1 (17), who stopped him in a single round three years ago.

Charlo is scheduled to face WBA and IBF champion Jeison Rosario 20-1-1 (14) in a unification bout at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut next Saturday.

“I think Jermell Charlo is going to come out on top against Jeison Rosario,” Lubin said.

“I’m ready for a rematch if he can take care of business like I did.

“I changed up a lot since the first fight. I have a master trainer in my corner in Kevin Cunningham, along with my longtime trainer Jason Galarza.

“I’m just all around a better fighter since the first time we fought.”

In other action former featherweight world title challenger Tugstsogt ‘King Tug’ Nyambayar 12-1 (9) had to settle for a 12-round split decision win over Cobia ‘Soldier’ Breedy 15-1 (5) despite having his opponent on the deck twice in the opening two rounds.

The scores in the WBC 126-pound title eliminator were 115-111 for Breedy and 114-112 and 114-113 for Nyambayar.

“It was a tough fight,” said the 28-year-old Nyambayar. “I have a lot of respect for Breedy. He’s a great boxer. I thought I won the fight and did well to get the knockdowns early.

“I thought I got the job done and I’m ready for the next step. I knew it was a close fight, but I wasn’t thinking about the score. I was surprised it was a split decision, but I thought I did enough to get the win.”

In the opening bout of the even rising welterweight star Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis 26-0 (24) stopped Juan Carlos Abreu 23-6-1 (21) in the sixth round of their 10-round contest. The time was 1:06.

Abreu, who had never been stopped before, was down once in round five and twice in round six.

“It felt great,” Ennis said. “Like I said before, I knew I was gonna stop him. I’m just too smart for these guys. I’m different, and I showed that tonight.

“He was a good opponent who’s never been stopped. I know he’s fought some tough guys in the past. Compare what I did to what they did. It shows the different skill level and attributes that I have.

“He was frustrated because I was hitting him and making him look bad. He was doing anything he could do to not get stopped, even going for a DQ.

“I knew I was going to stop him. I told you it was going to come. I just had fun with it. I’m different and I showed that tonight.

“I made a statement tonight and stopped someone who’s never been stopped. Bring on the top 10 and top five guys or title eliminators. I’m coming for the championship next year.”