Erickson Lubin’s mission was simple the first time he fought after Jermell Charlo knocked him out with one punch.

The resilient Lubin understood he had to give critics confidence to move past that devastating defeat to a then-unbeaten 154-pound champion in October 2017 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. More importantly, Lubin needed to eliminate the doubt that stunning setback left in his own mind once he fought Mexican veteran Silverio Ortiz.

The strong southpaw from Orlando, Florida, stopped Ortiz in the fourth round of their April 2018 bout in El Paso, Texas. Five years later, however, Lubin battled comparable demons in his return from a brutal slugfest in which he was stopped by Sebastian Fundora following nine rough rounds in April 2022 at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas.

Lubin beat Luis Arias by technical knockout as well in June 2023 at The Armory in Minneapolis to re-establish himself as a top contender in the 154-pound division.

Overcoming those two potentially career-wrecking losses left Lubin empathetic about what Devin Haney experienced during his first fight since rival Ryan Garcia knocked him down three times 53 weeks earlier at Barclays Center. Haney (32-0, 15 KOs, 1 NC), a former undisputed lightweight champ from Henderson, Nevada, decisively defeated Jose Ramirez (29-3, 18 KOs) on points, but his reluctance to engage frustrated fans who weren’t entertained by that 12-round welterweight match May 2 in Times Square.

Lubin, 29, who will fight Ardreal Holmes in an IBF junior middleweight elimination match Saturday night, is confident Haney will perform differently in his next fight.

“I just think Devin’s gotta remember how good he really is and not let that slip out of his mind,” Lubin told The Ring. “Because he probably [wondering] if he got a chin. He probably thinking what if he get hit and all this type of stuff. I been through that mentally as well. I was thinking in my head, ‘What if I get hit by this shot?’ But it goes away. It goes away from preparing the right way, sparring different dudes and actually believing in yourself and actually believing in what you have.

“I come into these fights believing in myself wholeheartedly. I don’t care who tells me what, I always believe in myself. I never doubt myself when it comes to fighting or if I’m gonna win. I go in there already putting in my head that I’m gonna win, but it’s how I’m gonna win. But [Haney] will get over it, though. He’ll get over whatever he’s going through. He’ll bounce back. He just gotta really lock in and believe in himself, believe that he can take a punch and just remember that.”

Lubin would prefer to forget what he witnessed May 2, just like virtually everyone else who watched Haney-Ramirez and Garcia’s lackluster performance in a unanimous points loss to Rolando “Rolly” Romero in the main event. He understands, though, the financial pressure both boxers faced with their lucractive rematch hanging in the balance.

“I think both guys were maybe playing it safe,” Lubin said. “Devin’s my guy, so I don’t wanna make this sound like I’m trying to bash him or anything. But I just think both were trying to play it real safe, just basically to get the second fight with them solidified to happen. So, I think it made the fans pretty bored. Devin went in there and did a lotta moving, did a lotta boxing. Everybody didn’t throw many punches, so I think the fans were pretty bored of that. Ryan, I think he played it too careful and then ended up getting clipped, and then eventually quit, eventually stopped trying to win.

“I think they both gotta go back to the drawing board, honestly, and just fix whatever type of demons they might be fighting. Whatever the case may be, they gotta go ahead and get some clarity in their minds, especially being in this sport. This is a gladiator sport, and after losses, after wins, and no matter what you’re going through in life outside the ring, when it’s time to perform, you gotta be able to perform.”

It is unclear if Garcia (24-2, 20 KOs, 1 NC) and Haney will still fight next, despite that they signed contracts for their rematch before the fought on The Ring’s “FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves” pay-per-view card.

Lubin, meanwhile, will attempt Saturday night to become the IBF’s No. 1 contender for junior middleweight champ Bakhram Murtazaliev (23-0, 17 KOs). The 12-round eliminator between Lubin (26-2, 18 KOs) and Holmes (17-0, 6 KOs), of Flint, Michigan, is the main event of a show that will start streaming on ProBox TV’s YouTube channel at 6:30 p.m. ET.