A before-and-after shot of Erickson Lubin's face is proof that you don't play boxing

• Erickson Lubin's face was a bloody mess after his fight Saturday against Sebastian Fundora.
• Lubin and Fundora exchanged knockdowns in a bout hailed as an instant classic.

LAS VEGAS — Erickson Lubin's face was grotesquely disfigured after fighting boxing's rising star Sebastian Fundora.

Their super welterweight war Saturday at the off-strip Virgin Hotels property in Las Vegas has been hailed as an instant classic as it featured knockdowns from both fighters and unreleting brutal but brilliant action.

After 27 minutes of grueling combat, Lubin's trainer Kevin Cunningham told the referee Russell Mora to stop the competitive 154-pound slobberknocker.

By that point, both fighters combined to throw 1,074 punches.

Fundora landed 255 of his 706 punches for a 36% accuracy, according to Compubox data sent to Insider. Most of his shots were power punches and he connected with 233 of his 541 attempts.

His best attacks were from close-range despite being 6-foot-6 and having a clear advantage if he had kept the fight at a distance.

But his inside fighting was remarkable. Lubin was there to be hit with uppercut after uppercut and, before long, there was significant bruising around both eyes.

It looked like his nose was broken, too.

Here's what Lubin looked like before the fight:

This is what he looked like after:

You don't play boxing

If Lubin's face showed the horror in defeat, Fundora's showed the elation in victory

"His face was too swollen," Fundora told reporters and Insider during a post-fight media scrum. "There's no way he can see out of his eyes."

Prior to fighting Fundora, Lubin had won six matches in a row after a first-round knockout loss to Jermell Charlo five years ago.

"I know he's been thinking about how people make fun of his chin … but he's a tough fighter."

When asked if Lubin can ever be the same again, Fundora replied: "I don't know. I wish him the best and a quick recovery."

Insider confirmed with a source on the scene that Lubin was taken to UMC Trauma Center for further observation immediately after the fight.

In victory, Fundora advanced his pro boxing record to 19 wins (13 knockouts) against one draw.

He also is now in position to face the winner of the May 14 showdown between Jermell Charlo and Brian Castano, which is a bout that has all the major super welterweight world championships on the line.

The Premier Boxing Champions event was broadcast on Showtime.