NEW YORK -- In one of the biggest, and most important fights of both their careers, Jorge Linares (44-3, 27 KOs) and Vasyl Lomachenko (10-1, 8 KOs) will headline a card at Madison Square Garden on May 12. Lomachenko will be moving up in weight to challenge Linares for his WBA world lightweight title on ESPN. The victor will immediately have his best career win, with the loser having to work his way back to another title shot.
Linares is an offensive dynamo who has one glaring flaw, his face always breaks down. Linares just has one of those faces that cuts easily and in two of his three career losses cuts came into play as his face was a bloody mess. Offensively though there isn't much Linares doesn't excel at. He's an orthodox boxer with enough power to get respect and an excellent jab. With his fast hands Linares will work that jab upstairs and to the body and often follows it with an accurate straight right hand. His left hook is also a good weapon but what really makes him special is his ability to throw such beautiful combinations.
The Venezuelan Linares, who now lives in Japan, hasn't lost a fight since 2012. That loss to Sergio 'Yayo' Thompson was the second of back-to-back losses, the first coming against Antonio DeMarco. Linares has gone 13-0 since with seven wins coming by the way of knockout. If Linares is able to beat Lomachenko it will be the fourth successful defense of his WBA title, but beating a fighter like Lomachenko is no easy task.
Lomachenko is a southpaw who is one of the most gifted fighters in all of boxing. He is currently ranked as the number three pound-for-pound fighter by Big Time Boxing and a win over Linares could boost him even higher in the rankings. Lomachenko has some of the fastest hands in boxing and his footwork is just as brilliant. His straight left hand is a dangerous weapon as is his right hook and he is fantastic at landing uppercuts. Lomachenko's ability to throw punches from all angles and turn his opponents is rarely seen and his talent can't be questioned, even with only having fought 11 times professionally.
The only blemish on Lomachenko's career came in his second professional fight. He took on veteran Orlando Salido who beat him via split decision with the help of too many low-blows to count. Since that loss Lomachenko has been perfect and he has made a habit of forcing opponents to quit. His last four opponents all retired on their stools and he embarrassed both Nicholas Walters and Guillermo Rigondeaux. Also on his resume are impressive wins over Gary Russell Jr. and Roman 'Rocky' Martinez but if he beats Linares after moving up in weight it would be the most impressive of all.
There will be plenty of offensive skills on display in this fight. Both Linares and Lomachenko are elite offensive fighters who throw dazzling combinations and have fast hands. Linares is probably the bigger puncher since he's the naturally bigger man but that advantage is slight. The hand speed is also similar but the advantage goes to Lomachenko there. The biggest difference between the two is defensively. Lomachenko's footwork always keeps him in position to land punches and avoid damage while Linares often has lulls in fights and is prone to cuts. Look for Linares to try and impose his size advantage but making things rough on the inside while Lomachenko looks to break his face down.
PREDICTION: If Jorge Linares wasn't so prone to cuts and bleeding this outcome might be different, but he is. Vasyl Lomachenko will find success with his style of attacking from various angles and as the rounds go by he will start to open cuts on Linares. It won't be a runaway win for Lomachenko but he will stop Linares in the 11th round with Linare's face bleeding badly.
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| Linares connecting with a power punch |
The Venezuelan Linares, who now lives in Japan, hasn't lost a fight since 2012. That loss to Sergio 'Yayo' Thompson was the second of back-to-back losses, the first coming against Antonio DeMarco. Linares has gone 13-0 since with seven wins coming by the way of knockout. If Linares is able to beat Lomachenko it will be the fourth successful defense of his WBA title, but beating a fighter like Lomachenko is no easy task.
Lomachenko is a southpaw who is one of the most gifted fighters in all of boxing. He is currently ranked as the number three pound-for-pound fighter by Big Time Boxing and a win over Linares could boost him even higher in the rankings. Lomachenko has some of the fastest hands in boxing and his footwork is just as brilliant. His straight left hand is a dangerous weapon as is his right hook and he is fantastic at landing uppercuts. Lomachenko's ability to throw punches from all angles and turn his opponents is rarely seen and his talent can't be questioned, even with only having fought 11 times professionally.
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| Lomachenko catching Guillermo Rigondeaux on the chin |
There will be plenty of offensive skills on display in this fight. Both Linares and Lomachenko are elite offensive fighters who throw dazzling combinations and have fast hands. Linares is probably the bigger puncher since he's the naturally bigger man but that advantage is slight. The hand speed is also similar but the advantage goes to Lomachenko there. The biggest difference between the two is defensively. Lomachenko's footwork always keeps him in position to land punches and avoid damage while Linares often has lulls in fights and is prone to cuts. Look for Linares to try and impose his size advantage but making things rough on the inside while Lomachenko looks to break his face down.
PREDICTION: If Jorge Linares wasn't so prone to cuts and bleeding this outcome might be different, but he is. Vasyl Lomachenko will find success with his style of attacking from various angles and as the rounds go by he will start to open cuts on Linares. It won't be a runaway win for Lomachenko but he will stop Linares in the 11th round with Linare's face bleeding badly.
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