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Tag Archives: Jorge Linares
2 TIME WORLD CHAMPION SHANNON BRIGGS “LET’S GO CHAMP” CONFIRMED FOR FOURTH EDITION OF BOX FAN EXPO TAKING PLACE ON CINCO DE MAYO WEEKEND, SATURDAY MAY 5, IN LAS VEGAS
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2 TIME WORLD CHAMPION BADOU JACK CONFIRMED FOR FOURTH EDITION OF BOX FAN EXPO TAKING PLACE ON CINCO DE MAYO WEEKEND, SATURDAY MAY 5, IN LAS VEGAS
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FORMER WORLD CHAMPION KELLY PAVLIK CONFIRMED FOR FOURTH EDITION OF BOX FAN EXPO TAKING PLACE ON CINCO DE MAYO WEEKEND, SATURDAY MAY 5, IN LAS VEGAS
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JORGE LINARES DEFENDS WBA LIGHTWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SATURDAY ON SHOWTIME BOXING INTERNATIONAL® FROM MANCHESTER ENGLAND
Win Sets Up A Possible Unification Fight With WBC World Champion Mikey Garcia; Encore Presentation of Tonight’s Fight Airs at 10 p.m. ET/PT on SHO EXTREME®
Photos Courtesy: Lawrence Lustig/Matchroom Sport
https://cbs.box.com/s/
NEW YORK (March 25, 2017) – Jorge Linares defended his WBA Lightweight World Championship with a unanimous decision victory over Anthony Crolla Saturday evening on SHOWTIME BOXING INTERNATIONAL from Manchester, England. The win sets Linares up for a possible unification fight with WBC Lightweight World Champion Mikey Garcia, a matchup that would be considered one of the best that can be made in any weight class.
Saturday’s main event from Manchester Arena aired live on SHOWTIME. Live fight coverage was provided by Sky Sports with Adam Smith calling play-by-play and world champion Carl Froch serving as ringside analyst. Garcia joined SHOWTIME Sports host Brian Custer and analysts Al Bernstein and Paul Malignaggi to provide commentary from a New York studio.
Linares and Crolla previously fought a fierce, closely contested battle last September, one that Linares won by just a few rounds. On Saturday, Linares retained the belt by a wide margin—118-109 on all three scorecards—virtually outclassing Crolla from the outset.
“He seems to be getting better with age,” said Froch, sharing a growing sentiment among boxing pundits.
Linares (42-3, 27 KO’s) cruised through much of the fight with an impressive display of boxing skill and power. A precisely timed uppercut floored Crolla in the seventh. Moments later Linares nearly finished him with a flurry against the ropes. Crolla, however, would not go quietly. The Manchester native, perhaps spurned by his home crowd, bravely grew more aggressive in the second half of the fight. But Linares was simply too sharp, too fast and too comfortable for Crolla to overcome.
Mikey Garcia is coming off a brilliant knockout of world champion Dejan Zlaticanin in January and is hungry for a unification bout.
“First off, I congratulate Jorge Linares for a great win,” said Garcia. “His skill, flexibility, combinations and power were definitely impressive. I hope we can make a fight as soon as possible. He didn’t look cut or hurt so maybe we can fight this summer.”
JORGE LINARES vs. ANTHONY CROLLA FINAL PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES & PHOTOS FOR LIGHTWEIGHT TITLE REMATCH THIS SATURDAY LIVE ON SHOWTIME®
SHOWTIME BOXING INTERNATIONAL® Airs Live at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT from Manchester Arena in Manchester, England
Click HERE For Photos; Credit Lawrence Lustig/Matchroom
Jorge Linares and Anthony Crolla held a final press conference on Thursday in Manchester, England, for their rematch this Saturday for the WBA Lightweight World Championship, live on SHOWTIME (6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT) from Manchester Arena.
Linares (41-3, 27 KOs) dethroned Crolla (31-5-3, 13 KOs) in a close, back-and-forth battle last September in Manchester to capture the WBA crown. The Sept. 24 match was the first time the three-division titlist Linares was pushed the 12-round distance in his nine career world title fights.
Crolla has had success in immediate rematches. In 2015, he challenged Darley Perez for the WBA Lightweight Title and fought to a draw. Four months later, he knocked out Perez in five rounds to win the 135-pound title.
WBC Lightweight World Champion Mikey Garcia will join the SHOWTIME BOXING INTERNATIONAL announce team as a guest analyst alongside host Brian Custer and analysts Al Bernstein and Paulie Malignaggi.
Garcia (36-0, 30 KOs), who won the WBC belt in emphatic fashion this January on SHOWTIME, may be scouting his future opponent – the WBC has mandated that the winner of Linares-Crolla II must face Garcia.
Here’s what the fighters had to say at Thursday’s press conference:
JORGE LINARES:
“I know once again I have everyone against me in his backyard, but that’s why I trained hard.
“I’m not coming in here feeling like the champion. I’m coming in here feeling like the challenger because I know I have to win very clear to go back home with a win.
“It’s going to be a different Crolla this time. I have to perform like I know I can to defend my belts.
“I had a great camp. I’m anxious. I can’t wait to show you on Saturday night, put it all together and return home with my belts.”
ANTHONY CROLLA:
“I’ve always been better going in as the underdog. I know on Saturday night I’m going to need to be the very best Anthony Crolla to beat Jorge Linares. I really believe that if I show the improvements that I’ve made in the gym then I’ll get my belt back.
“I hope he comes in looking for the knockout. If Jorge comes looking for the knockout he breaks away from what he’s best at. And, if he does so, I believe it falls right into my hands.
“I’ve got to be cutting off the ring quicker this time. I’ve got to respond in bunches a little bit more. There are so many obstacles that are going to be put in front of me from Jorge Linares, but I believe I will have an answer for every one of them.
“It was one of the fights of the year last time. I can certainly see us both being even better this time.
“There’s a lot of people out there who think there is no way I can beat Jorge Linares, but I believe on Saturday night I’ll prove an awful lot of people wrong.”
JORGE LINARES vs. ANTHONY CROLLA MEDIA WORKOUT QUOTES & PHOTOS FOR LIGHTWEIGHT TITLE REMATCH THIS SATURDAY LIVE ON SHOWTIME®
SHOWTIME BOXING INTERNATIONAL® Airs Live at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT from Manchester Arena in Manchester, England
Watch The Full First Fight On SHO Sports YouTube Channel: http://s.sho.com/2m1x6TV
Click HERE For Photos; Credit Lawrence Lustig/Matchroom
WBA Lightweight World Champion Jorge Linares and former champion Anthony Crolla participated in a public workout at National Football Museum in Manchester, England on Tuesday in preparation for their rematch this Saturday, live on SHOWTIME (6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT) from Manchester Arena.
Linares (41-3, 27 KOs) dethroned Crolla (31-5-3, 13 KOs) in an action-packed battle last September in Manchester to capture the WBA crown. Crolla and Linares were neck-and-neck going into the sixth round until Linares rocked the hometown favorite with a series of shots that galvanized the Venezuelan toward a close 115-114, 115-113 and 117-111 unanimous decision.
The Sept. 24 match was the first time the three-division titlist Linares, who also holds the WBC Diamond and Ring Magazine lightweight belts, was pushed the 12-round distance in his career.
The WBC has mandated that the winner of Linares-Crolla II must face undefeated WBC Lightweight Champion Mikey Garcia, who will join host Brian Custer and analysts Al Bernstein and Paulie Malignaggi in New York for the SHOWTIME BOXING INTERNATIONAL presentation.
Below are fight week quotes from Linares and Crolla:
JORGE LINARES:
“Crolla could come better prepared than last time. Maybe he will throw more punches, maybe he will box more, I don’t really know. The most important thing is I hope he has worked really hard and comes in great condition so there are no excuses and no doubts after the fight.
“I can fight even better this time. Before the first fight I had a broken right hand and I hadn’t fought for a while. That’s always a factor, you know? Inactivity. I haven’t had any issues physically or mentally, so the preparation has been great. We did 129 rounds of sparring and everything has gone well up to this point.
“I know he has been quiet in the build-up, I don’t mind if he hasn’t spoken much lately. Let’s just hope it’s a clean fight like the first one.”
“The plans are in the future to get the biggest fights. Obviously the priority right now is to stay focused on Saturday but then I’ll look towards the big fights like against Mikey Garcia.
“I really think coming to train with Ismael Salas made the difference. It’s what helped me really establish myself as a professional fighter and to gain more experience. We learn ‘old school’ as Salas always says. It really has worked well for me in the two years I’ve been with him.”
“I feel really good because this time we had a lot more time to prepare. We did some of the training camp in Japan and then eight weeks in Las Vegas.
“I’m happy to be back here in England again and have another opportunity. I get treated very well, I feel comfortable fighting here. The fans here have a lot of boxing knowledge and they know me well. It’s nice, I feel at home.”
ANTHONY CROLLA:
“It will be another good fight, that’s for sure. Our styles gel really well and I don’t see how it can’t be another good fight, but this time I see a different winner. The key will be adapting. I might need to adapt a number of times in the fight but it is something I have trained for.
“I learned a lot from that fight. Linares has very good speed, very good ring craft and he used his big fight experience for when to take a rest, when to turn it on for the judges.
“This time I know I need to deal with the flashy combinations better, cut the ring off better and capitalize when he is open for shots.
“He has said he will come with another game plan but so will we. Last time I gave it everything, left it all in the ring, but I came up short. The right man won on the night and now I have a second chance at winning back the belt and beating a great fighter.
“I was disappointed I lost – you should never be happy with losing – but I was satisfied I gave everything on the night. 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.
“You see people online saying Linares is a level above and that he outclassed me – he obviously didn’t outclass me because two of the judges only had a point in it. The right man won and now I need to show my improvements and make sure the result is different.
“Last time out in Manchester I lost a close fight but with the improvements I have been making in the gym I believe this time it will be a different result.
“The rematch was always top of my list. Linares is top of the pile in the lightweight division and if there was a chance of having a rematch that was always more important to me than any other fight. I want to fight the best and be involved in the big fights and that’s what this is.
“I want the chance to stake my claim as the best lightweight in the world by going out there and beating him.
“I wasn’t going to turn down a rematch to try and ease myself back into title contention. I want these big fights; these big nights in Manchester are what I thrive on.
“I feel better than I have ever felt. Camp has gone really well and there will certainly be no excuses. I have had no distractions outside of camp and everything is good. It is a matter now of showing in the ring tonight the improvements I have been showing in the gym.
“I have had no social life for the past few months and I will walk to the ring knowing that, knowing I have prepared in the best way I possibly can. There will be no ‘what if I had done this’, ‘what if I had done that’ – I have prepared the best I possibly can.”
LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPION MIKEY GARCIA TO BE GUEST ANALYST FOR JORGE LINARES-ANTHONY CROLLA LIGHTWEIGHT TITLE REMATCH SATURDAY, MARCH 25 LIVE ON SHOWTIME®
Winner of Linares-Crolla II Becomes Mandatory Challenger For Garcia’s WBC 135-Pound Crown
SHOWTIME BOXING INTERNATIONAL® Airs Live At 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT on SHOWTIME
Click on the Link Below to Watch a Mikey Garcia Feature Video Recapping his Last Fight
YOUTUBE: http://s.sho.com/2ml37GG
Photo Credit: Esther Lin/SHOWTIME
NEW YORK (March 20, 2017) – WBC Lightweight World Champion Mikey Garcia will join the SHOWTIME announce team as a guest analyst for the rematch between WBA Lightweight World Champion Jorge Linares and Anthony Crolla on Saturday, March 25 live on SHOWTIME at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT.
Three-division world champion Garcia, (36-0, 30 KOs), will join host Brian Custer and analysts Al Bernstein and Paulie Malignaggi in New York for the SHOWTIME BOXING INTERNATIONAL® presentation of Crolla vs. Linares II, which will air live from Manchester Arena in Manchester, England.
“I’m excited to participate as guest analyst for this rematch,” said Garcia. “These are two of the most competitive boxers in my division. Jorge Linares won the first fight, but Crolla can create a different outcome.
“Linares has good hand speed, timing, reflexes and has power in both hands. Crolla has a good right hand and has shown some solid body work in his recent fights. While Crolla is getting better with each fight, Linares is likely still the better boxer, and should edge him out in a close fight.”
Linares (41-3, 27 KOs) dethroned Crolla (31-5-3, 13 KOs) in a thrilling battle last fall in Manchester to capture the WBA crown. The Sept. 24 match was the first time the three-division titlist Linares, who also holds the WBC Diamond and Ring Magazine lightweight belts, was pushed the 12-round distance in his career.
The WBC has mandated that the winner of Linares-Crolla II must face the hard-hitting Garcia, who knocked out defending champion Dejan Zlaticanin on Jan. 28 on SHOWTIME in just his second fight back following a 30-month layoff.
Linares-Crolla II is the second lightweight world title bout on SHOWTIME in 2017 and an important fight toward potentially unifying the resurgent 135-pound division.
JORGE LINARES vs. ANTHONY CROLLA PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES & PHOTOS FOR LIGHTWEIGHT WORLD TITLE REMATCH SATURDAY, MARCH 25 LIVE ON SHOWTIME®
Linares-Crolla II Paves The Way For World Title Unification Bout With Winner of
Saturday’s Lightweight World Championship: Dejan Zlaticanin vs. Mikey Garcia
Click HERE For Photos; Credit: Lawrence Lustig; Matchroom Boxing
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND (Jan. 24, 2017) – WBA Lightweight World Champion Jorge Linares and former titlist Anthony Crolla held a press conference on Tuesday in Manchester, England, to formally announce their upcoming rematch on Saturday, March 25 live on SHOWTIME from Manchester Arena.
Linares (41-3, 27 KOs) narrowly outpointed defending champion Crolla (31-5-3, 13 KOs) last September in a thrilling battle in Crolla’s hometown of Manchester.
The WBC has mandated that the winner of Linares-Crolla II must face the winner of this Saturday’s SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING matchup between WBC Lightweight World Champion Dejan Zlaticanin and undefeated two-division titlist Mikey Garcia.
Here’s what the fighters had to say on Tuesday:
JORGE LINARES:
“I wasn’t supposed to win the first fight, but I’m glad I did so I can come back and do it again.
“The belts mean so much to me and my country, and I am going to work very hard to make sure that I take them home again.
“It’s a new year and a new day. Anthony is going to be better and hungrier, and that means I will work harder, come with more skill and an even better game plan to win.
“I hope to see another huge crowd in Manchester and we’re going to provide the fans with another beautiful fight.”
ANTHONY CROLLA:
“I want the belt back, simple. Fighting for these prizes in front of us is huge. I’m so lucky to have a second chance and it’s one I have to take.
“It was a special night last time, great crowd and it’ll be even bigger this time. The setting was perfect but I lost my belt. I lost to a great fighter but I don’t celebrate losing, I don’t want to feel it again and I want to go down in history by beating a great fighter.
“I am better in rematches and I’m locking myself away to work harder and smarter to make sure these belts stay here.
“Jorge is the best and I want to be the best – beating him stakes my claim. I didn’t win the first one but I had success and I can work on that.
“We’ve both got great teams behind us, and I believe if I make the right changes for the fight I will take the titles.”
EDDIE HEARN:
“The first fight was a hell of a fight. Anthony was the favorite and now Jorge is the favorite.
“Anthony is the challenger in this rematch. He’s had success in rematches before – he did it against Darleys Perez and he came back better. He needs to do that again against Jorge, No. 1 in the division.
“It gives me huge pleasure to announce that the fight will be on SHOWTIME in the U.S. and I want to thank Stephen Espinosa and his team for making this happen.”
JOE GALLAGHER:
“I need a nasty Anthony Crolla for this fight. Jorge is the best in the world so I need to keep him locked away and getting nasty – he won’t be doing any fan signings or selling tickets. If you like Anthony and care about him, leave him alone, let him work, and come and watch him win on the night.”
ROBERT DIAZ:
“I didn’t know how Jorge was going to react to the fans as I know that Anthony has great fans. I think that Jorge won a lot of fans that night and he’ll have his share in the rematch.
“Anthony didn’t have to take the fight, he could’ve gone elsewhere and got some wins, but that shows what a man this guy is. He wants the belts and we expect a better Anthony. I said you would see the best Jorge ever and you did – he’s going to be even better this time.”
SHOWTIME® TO TELEVISE JORGE LINARES vs. ANTHONY CROLLA LIGHTWEIGHT WORLD TITLE REMATCH ON SATURDAY, MARCH 25
SHOWTIME BOXING INTERNATIONAL® Presentation of Immediate Rematch Airs Live From Manchester, England
Click HERE For Images from Linares-Crolla I; Photo Credit: Matchroom Boxing
NEW YORK (Jan. 24, 2017) – SHOWTIME will televise the eagerly anticipated rematch between WBA Lightweight World Champion Jorge Linares and former champ Anthony Crolla on Saturday, March 25 live on SHOWTIME from Manchester Arena in Manchester, England.
Linares (41-3, 27 KOs) dethroned Crolla (31-5-3, 13 KOs) in a thrilling battle last Sept. 24 in Manchester. It was the first time the three-division titlist Linares was pushed the 12-round distance in his career.
Linares-Crolla will be the second lightweight world title bout on SHOWTIME in 2017 and an important fight toward potentially unifying the resurgent 135-pound division. Dejan Zlaticanin will defend his WBC Lightweight World Championship against undefeated two-division world champ Mikey Garcia this Saturday, Jan. 28 in the co-feature of SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING®.
Linares, of Barinas, Venezuela, has won 10 fights in a row, including seven by knockout. He became a three-division titlist when he captured the vacant WBC Lightweight World Championship in 2014 with a knockout of Javier Prieto. The 31-year-old defended the belt twice in 2015 with knockouts of Kevin Mitchell and Ivan Cano before being named “Champion in Recess” by the WBC because of inactivity due to injuries. Linares returned following an 11-month layoff to face Crolla in his hometown of Manchester, outpointing the champion 115-114, 117-111 and 115-113 in a back-and-forth and bloody battle. With the win, Linares also earned the WBC Diamond and Ring Magazine lightweight belts.
Crolla, of Manchester, won the WBA Lightweight Title with a fifth-round KO of Darleys Perez in November of 2015 in an immediate rematch of their 12-round draw earlier that year. The 30-year-old knocked out previously unbeaten Ismael Barroso in his first title defense on May 7, 2016 to set up the showdown with Linares. The close loss to Linares was Crolla’s first defeat in his last 11 fights.