IBF Junior Middleweight Champion Bakhram Murtazaliev said no one was willing to “organize his title battle against IBF orders for Erickson Lubin.
To engage in this fight, PBC will need some dates to show it, and there is a big headline to go with it. Murtazaliev-Lubin itself is not big enough to be a major attraction.
canelo-crawford Undercard requires Bakhram
Murtazaliev and Lubin’s requirements are Turki Alalshikh Implement and add it to one of his Riyadh season cards. Even if their battle is buried on one of the cards, at least it will be made.
The ideal location will be on September 13 on the Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford card. This is an event with no quality on the bottom card at all. Essentially, this is the main event, packed with a discarded back-card.
Adding Murtazaliev-Lubin to the event would be an immediate step forward, possibly even beyond the main event that would value fans entertainment. You can count on Murtazaliev and Lubin to the war. We already know that Crawford will be boxed with Canelo and borrowed from Mayweather’s script. Bakhram vs. Lubin will save a day.
brother @ericksonhammerl Is no one willing to organize our battle? 🤣
– Bakhram Murtazaliev (@bakhram95) August 5, 2025
Unbeaten Bakkhram (23-0, 17 KO) has had bad luck since defeating former WBO 154-pound champion Tim Tszyu last October. He had a hand injury to Josh Kelly and Vergil Ortiz Jr., which did not come true. Now, it’s a broadcast issue, which delays Murtazaliev’s title defense against Lubin (27-2, 19 KO).
Why avoid Bakhram Murtazaliev
Bakhram’s reputation as a boo in the 154-pound division is another reason why he failed to use his victory to beat Tszyu. The way he destroyed Tim was scaring other top fighters. No big shot wants to fight him.
It seems Murtazaliev will sit for more than a year until he finally fights. In October, it has been a year since he defeated Tszyu. At this speed, Bakhram might be lucky if he fought completely in 2026.
Lubin was not satisfied with this. He was blocked by Sebastian Fundora in 2022 in the ninth round and returned to the IBF mandatory position. The fight was a huge setback for Erickson as he would return from the embarrassing first-round knockout in 2017 with Jermell Charlo, who won his final six battles before Fieldora’s defeat in his final six wins against Jermell Charlo in 2017.
Last updated on August 6, 20125
