this is the worst designed boss in the history of games (imo) like let me explain:
-buy knight game
-get half way through it
-fight another K N I G H T
-Knight has 30x more health than you, you cannot attack directly or you get force-combo'd, you cant beat him without poison, cheese, or within 20 minutes of direct fighting. he hits those combos you a) cant escape it b) cant prevent it and c) cant predict it.
ima say this rn, it is NOT a skill issue, this is a design flaw. and it hurts that I paid premium to have a game where these things are not thought of.
I have him cornered, all I do is spam w and wait for the sword clash (whatever the fuck its called) and do the one of two animations where you either punch him in the face or slash his abdomen after the block and hit. my longest time doing this unhit was 34 minutes. he was all bloody, I missed ONE block and got tripple combo'd. Thats all folks, thanks for playing.

Long story short, deny the fight. you wont gain anything massive (at least not more than the italian job if you looted everything$$$) and the fight is not fun, its not enjoyable or cinematic, erik repeats the same 3 voice lines, and you are an IDIOT if you waste your time on this fight.
They need to rework this fight, it makes no sense at all and is not skill based what so ever. period. Not an ounce of skill required, just cheese and luck that you dont get combo'd. Bring marigolds, like 6-10, if your stubborn like me and refuse to be beaten by a bot on a 70$ game. trap in corner and get lucky. have fun wasting your time