The pre-fight chatter surrounding the slugfest between Vergil Ortiz Jr. and Erickson Lubin on November 8 is how Ortiz will finally get to move on to face Jaron Ennis with the win.

Not so fast, says Lubin, The Ring’s No. 5-rated contender at 154 pounds. Lubin certainly is no walk in the park for Ortiz, who’s ranked No. 1, and he’s preparing with a massive chip on his shoulder to upset the apple cart.

“Beating somebody like Vergil, I’d basically be replacing him,” Lubin said in a promotional vignette titled “Dare 2 Enter” ahead of their main event fight at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas on DAZN.

“I’m one of the top dogs in this division. I feel like a lot of dudes tend to duck me or overlook me. I’m just happy that Vergil took a fight like this. He could have fought a list of names, so respect to him. We’re both in our primes. We’re not waiting for somebody to get old, or not ducking each other because the money is not right. It’s going to be one of those real historical matchups … I’ll probably stop him or win a decision. It doesn’t matter to me. Go home with a win. After this fight, they won’t be talking about Vergil. They’re going to be talking about The Hammer.”

Lubin (27-2, 19 KOs) passed up his IBF mandatory position to challenge for a world title against Bakhram Murtazaliev to face Ortiz (23-0, 21 KOs) instead. Ortiz – who’s anticipating an action-packed chess match – commended Lubin for embracing what should certainly be a barnburner.

“He took the fight – respect – but on November 8, he will see why this is my division,” said Ortiz. “I want to be a fighter that all of the fans respect.”

Promoter Oscar De La Hoya echoed much of the same statements as Ortiz.

“It's a fight people are going to be pleasantly surprised with,” said De La Hoya. “This is a perfect opportunity for both guys. You have to go out there and prove, take risks, take chances.”

According to DraftKings, Ortiz is a minus-800 betting favorite, and Lubin is a plus-500 underdog.