Officially, it's still listed as Ortíz vs. TBA in a super welter 12-rounder co-featuring on the Madrimov vs. Crawford undercard in August - but the strong rumor is that Lubin will be the replacement for Timofei Konstantinovich Tszyu. Since losing to Sebastian Fundora two years ago, the Floridian southpaw fought twice last year and was victorious both times. Lubin is ranked top 5 by all four major orgs. Ortíz was set to face Tszyu, but doctors refused to medically clear him on the grounds that his scar tissue from cuts - sustained in his own loss to Fundora this past March - has yet to finish healing. Ortíz is ranked #2 by the WBO (behind only Tszyu) and is Madrimov's number one mandatory contender for the WBA, but is strangely absent from both the IBF and WBC top fifteen at 154lbs. Recent lightweight-to-welterweight graduate "King" Ryan García Quesada had attempted to interpolate himself into the match when the news of Tszyu being ineligible to compete first dropped. It appears nothing serious is expected to come of that.
Lubin is an inch taller with 4½″ reach. Ortíz is two years the younger man and his 100% professional kayo rate destroys Lubin's quite respestable 69.23%.
It would be pretty cool if this does come to fruition. I read somewhere that Butaev was gonna replace Tim and face Ortiz. But this is a better fight.
In before the simple foamers on this site infest this thread and tell their usual lies that Tszyu is ducking Ortiz. FWIW I think Lubin gives Ortiz a very good fight and possibly even beats him.
Ortiz detonates a nuclear bomb like straight right on Lubin's frail as a dried out beehive mandible, and sleeps his ass in one, just like Jermello.
