Erickson Lubin scores third-round TKO victory against Daniel Sandoval in 155-pound fight

CHICAGO - Super welterweight prospect Erickson Lubin continued his professional progression Saturday, living up to his "Hammer" nickname and scoring a sudden third-round technical knockout against Mexican veteran Daniel Sandoval at the UIC Pavilion.

After spending the first two rounds patiently probing for openings, Lubin, (15-0, 11 KOs) erupted in the third, cutting and hurting Sandoval with a hook toward the end of the round. He jumped right on his adversary, connecting with multiple power-punches before referee Mark Nelson stopped the fight at 2:36 of the round.

Sandoval, from Guadalajara, dropped to 38-4 (34 KOs). It was part of a nationally-televised "Premier Boxing Champions" card on NBC.

"I felt great," Lubin said. "He's a veteran, so I wanted to take my time and get him out of there by chipping away. I saw that he was hurt with a hook. I saw that it cut him and I wanted to rush him. A flurry of punches and the ref stopped it."

Lubin, 20, grew up idolizing Oscar De La Hoya and would have been a favorite to win the gold medal at the 2016 Olympic Games. Instead, he turned pro, signing a contract on his 18th birthday. He has since been moved fast, testing himself against veterans in a way that used to be conventional, but is unusual these days. Saturday was no different, as the Orlando native took on a fighter with 41 pro fights and an impressive knockout percentage. The fight was contracted at 155 pounds but Sandoval came in nearly foour pounds overweight. After lost a fbit of that extra weight, Lubin gave his blessing for the fight to go on. It did not matter.

"I'm looking at going higher in the rankings," Lubin said. "My team knows I'll fight everybody. They have to stop me from fighting people cause I'll say yes to anyone. I just want to keep going from here.

"Everybody is on my radar."

(Photo of Erickson Lubin as referee stops his fight against Daniel Sandoval, by Nabeel Ahmad, PBC)