Junior middleweight contender Erickson Lubin has said time out of the ring could be a blessing rather than a curse ahead of his IBF title eliminator against Ardreal Holmes.

They will fight in Kissimmee, Florida, Lubin’s hometown, on May 10 at the Silver Spurs Arena in what will be Lubin’s first fight in some 18 months.

“I’m motivated. It’s extra motivation being able to come back home and headline,” Lubin told ”BoxingScene Today.”

“Ten years ago, when I was fighting back home, I was one of the openers, but now I’m the headliner. But it wouldn’t really matter where the fight was. I make the squared circle my home.”

It was back in September 2023 in Las Vegas when Lubin won a close and contentious decision over Jesus Ramos Jnr on the Saul “Canelo” Alvarez-Jermell Charlo bill in Las Vegas.

Now, he is more than ready to go again.

“The time out wasn’t expected, but maybe it was a gift more than a curse,” he said. “I was dealing with a lot of stuff outside of boxing. I was dealing with a lot of injuries. I couldn’t take the Tim Tszyu fight during that time, so I feel like maybe I needed that time off to regroup, get myself back together.

“I’m in my prime, so I’m excited to get in there and show myself and show the new things I’ve been working on, how focused I’ve been, and just make a statement to the boxing world. This is another undefeated fighter in front of me. It’s the second undefeated fighter in a row, so I’m looking to make a statement.”

Ramos was 20-0. Holmes is 17-0. Lubin is a seasoned 26-2 (18 KOs), and he admitted of his last outing, “It wasn’t the best I looked in all of my fights.”

The winner of Lubin-Holmes will become the mandatory challenger to IBF titleholder Bakhram Murtazaliev.

The 29-year-old Lubin had been linked to a fight with Vergil Ortiz Jnr, but after saying he has taken boxing for granted at times in the past, he is keen for a statement victory.

“We were looking forward to taking on that challenge against Vergil Ortiz,” he said. “I feel like I’m the best guy at 154lbs, whether people or naysayers have got things to say about it, haters got something to say about it, I feel like I’m the best at 154lbs. But I’m looking forward to seeing how it plays out.

“I’ve been ranked in this division since 2015. We’re in 2025, so I’m still here. A lot of these guys have fell off, a lot of these guys ain’t here no more, a lot of these guys are retired. But I’m still here.”

Tris Dixon covered his first amateur boxing fight in 1996. The former editor of Boxing News, he has written for a number of international publications and newspapers, including GQ and Men’s Health, and is a board member for the Ringside Charitable Trust and the Ring of Brotherhood. He has been a broadcaster for TNT Sports and hosts the popular “Boxing Life Stories” podcast. Dixon is a British Boxing Hall of Famer, an International Boxing Hall of Fame elector, is on The Ring ratings panel and is the author of five boxing books, including “Damage: The Untold Story of Brain Trauma in Boxing” (shortlisted for the William Hill Sportsbook of the Year), “Warrior: A Champion’s Search for His Identity” (shortlisted for the Sunday Times International Sportsbook of the Year) and “The Road to Nowhere: A Journey Through Boxing’s Wastelands.” You can reach him @trisdixon on X and Instagram.