Junior middleweight Erickson Lubin is one of boxing’s elite prospects, seemingly on his way to big things.

Rather than go for a 2016 Olympic berth, which he was favored to land, the 20-year-old southpaw signed a pro contract on his 18th birthday and has moved fairly quickly for such a young fighter. Lubin (14-0, 10 KOs) will continue his march toward what many believe is an inevitable world title when he takes on much more experienced Daniel Sandoval (38-3, 35 KOs), 25, of Mexico in a 10-rounder that will be featured on the Premier Boxing Champions card Saturday night (NBC, 8:30 ET) at UIC Pavilion in Chicago.

Lubin, however, will go into the bout with a heavy heart.

“I want to give my condolences to everyone who lost loved ones in the Orlando shootings,” Lubin said. “Orlando is my hometown and I’m dedicating this fight to them.”

With the network television spotlight on him, Lubin knows he has a big opportunity to make a name for himself with a strong performance.

“I’m excited about the opportunity to fight in Chicago and on this great stage,” he said. “I’ve had a great training camp. I’m ready to light this city up like Michael Jordan. I had a lot of time to improve my game and I feel like this Saturday I will be more than prepared. I’m planning on putting on a show.”

Lubin has already faced experienced opponents such as Norberto Gonzalez, Michael Finney, Orlando Lora and Alexis Camacho. They are not top contenders, but that is a very solid group of fighters for a youngster to face so early in his career. Sandoval looms as perhaps his best opponent to date, but Lubin said he wants to be challenged.

“I always want to be in tough matchups,” he said. “It’s been tougher every time and I’ve still come out victorious. That won’t change on Saturday. I’m moving up the ladder and I’m ready.

“I’ve always known I would get here because I believe in myself and my team believes in me,” he continued. “I’m chasing that world title. I picture myself breaking my opponent down. If he makes a mistake, I’ll knock him out early. No matter what, I’m going to dominate the fight and come out victorious.”

Lubin’s pursuit of a boxing career came despite his family’s initial reluctance.

“My family didn’t really want me boxing at a young age,” he said. “They wanted me to be into other sports. But I loved it, so eventually they had no choice. They’re very supportive now and my dad tries to make it to every fight.

“My family is filled with athletes. I have four sisters and two brothers. One of my sisters is a professional dancer and my older brother played football at a high level. Another older brother boxed and got me into the sport when I was about 6.

“I think I would have kept pursuing my basketball career if I hadn’t gotten into boxing. I played small forward in high school. My game was kind of like James Harden. I liked to score and I was tough to stop.”

Lubin is also a big Kobe Bryant fan.

“I try to emulate the mentality of Kobe Bryant. He’s a killer. He has the strongest mentality in sports,” Lubin said. “I just want to take my opponent out.”

And like so many, Lubin looks up to some of boxing’s greatest fighters, a position he hopes to someday occupy.

“Other fighters definitely motivate me,” he said. “I idolized Muhammad Ali and he’s always meant a lot to me. I looked up to fighters like Floyd Mayweather, Mike Tyson and Meldrick Taylor. There are a lot of guys out there now motivating me. Daniel Jacobs is a fighter that I look up to and Errol Spence is a guy that can really fight. Seeing guys perform on a high level makes me want to get to that level as well.”