The 30-year-old’s options at 135lbs include a challenge for fellow Mancunian Terry Flanagan’s WBO title but promoter Eddie Hearn has also floated a move to light-welterweight. When I watched it again there were things in the fight where I thought, “why didn’t I do this, why didn’t I do that”, but that is what I did do in the heat of the battle. He was simply too classy for Anthony Crolla. But in reality he was only shaking off the ring rust and produced one of his finest displays in his 45th bout to win nearly every round and take this fight 118-109 on all three scorecards having also floored Crolla in the seventh.
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A bloodied Crolla was dropped in the seventh round of the showdown in the M.E.N. Arena and the end looked near. But in the eleventh round Linares was closer to knocking down Crolla than Crolla knocking down Linares and Crolla’s corner seemed hesitent to send him out for the final round. After the 11 frame, in which Crolla took a lot of punishment, there was a moment when it appeared that Crolla’s corner would stop the fight, but the courageous Mancunian had too much pride to let it end in this fashion and he was still working hard when the final bell sounded.
The Venezuelan says he will be better this time around after being kept out of action for almost a year prior to the first clash with Crolla (31-5-3-KO13) due to a fractured right hand that needed surgery and saw him stripped of the WBC version of the world title for inactivity.
What a fight it would be do – with the timing for it now seemingly spot on.
“Without a doubt training has gone better than the last fight”.
A Manchester derby in the boxing ring? Then, in December 2014, Crolla suffered a fractured skull and broken ankle when he was attacked by burglars, who he had chased from a neighbour’s house.
Crolla, 30, did his best work immediately after being knocked down, rallying in Rounds 8 and 9 to back Linares up with pressure as he took advantage of the smaller 18-foot ring.
Only Crolla and Nihito Arakawa have gone the distance with Linares during that time period, who is one of the heaviest hitters at lightweight.
“Congratulations to Jorge, he looked great”, Garcia said. The bout aired on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom. Scorecards came in at 116-112, 118-111 and 116-113 for the Junior Lightweight prospect, who made the third defense of his British title. A rematch is unlikely.
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“Now that both fighters know each other, they’re going to respect each other a little more, and they’re going to try to make some adjustments”, Garcia explained. Ward is now 2-0-1 against Hughes, and has certainly settled whatever score was left.
