Anthony Crolla vs. Jorge Linares on September 24

By Boxing News - 06/14/2016 - Comments

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By Scott Gilfoid: On September 24, WBA World lightweight belt holder Anthony Crolla (31-4-3, 13 KOs) will be taking a very dangerous fight against the 30-year-old WBC lightweight Champions in Recess at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, UK. The World Boxing Council has put the WBC Diamond lightweight title up for grabs for the Linares vs. Crolla fight.

The winner of the fight must fight WBC lightweight champion Dejan Zlaticanin next if they want to fight for that belt. It’s going to be interesting to see if Crolla opts to make that move if he can somehow get past Linares on September 24. Does Crolla face Zlaticanin or does he instead stay content with being the WBA lightweight champion.

My guess is Chrolla chooses not to fight Zlaticanin due to the risk involved in facing this talented knockout artist.

More important than the WBA title, the winner of the Crolla-Linares fight will claim the No.1 Ring ranking at lightweight. That spot it currently held by Linares. The Ring overall champion is still vacant at this time. Dejan Zlaticanin is at #2 in the ratings and moving up fast. He might be the overall best fighter in the lightweight division right now. I wouldn’t like Linares or Crolla’s chances against a slugger like Zlaticanin. He would be bad news for either of those guys in my view. However, I doubt that Crolla’s promoter Eddie Hearn will let him anywhere near a wrecking machine like Zlaticanin if he gets past Linares on September 24. Zlaticanin is look unbeatable right now, and he’s fighting at too high of a level for a finesse fighter like Crolla to beat him in my view.

Linares recently had his WBC belt stripped from him by the WBC after he suffered an injury and was unable to defend his title against his #1 WBC mandatory challenger Dejan Zlaticanin. As the ‘Champion in Recess,” Linares can always face Zlaticanin when he pleases. Zlaticanin captured the WBC title last Saturday night in beating #5 WBC Franklin Mamani by a 5th round knockout.

For Linares, this is the second time he’s come over to the UK to fight the home fighter. Last year, Linares traveled to the UK to defeated hometown fighter Kevin Mitchell by a 10th round knockout in May 2015. Linares chopped Mitchell down in front of his own fans in a beautiful display of boxing.

You can’t call the Linares vs. Crolla fight a unification fight because Linares doesn’t have the WBC title. I mean, if he loses the fight to Crolla, it won’t mean that Crolla is the new WBC champion.

“When two of the best lightweights in the world want to fight and test themselves, it’s natural,” said Crolla to skysports.com. “I’m so excited to have the chance to unify the division. Jorge is a fantastic fighter and it’s another mountain to climb, but these are the tests that I thrive on and I’ve beaten two great fighters in Perez and Barroso and I’m confident that I can beat Jorge, too.”

Crolla is coming off a big 7th round stoppage win over knockout artist Ismael Barroso in his last fight last May. Barroso proved to be a novice with the way he attacked in an all-out manner in the first five rounds, and quickly gassed out and was stopped in round seven. Barroso looked like a fighter that hadn’t learned how to properly pace himself the way true professionals do.

“My man Eddie Hearn is selling Crolla-Linares as unification is disingenuous & factually wrong. No need for a hard sell. Great fight regardless,” said Dan Rafael on his Twitter.

Crolla won the fight against Barroso based on him being more relaxed and composed compared to Barroso. Never the less, for Crolla to defeat a ring technician like Linares, he’s going to need to depend on something else, because you’re probably not going to see Linares gas out after five rounds. I mean, I’ve never seen Linares gas out in any of his fights, and I don’t think he’s stupid enough to try and KO Crolla quickly like Barroso did. Linares if more of a pure boxer, who prefers to methodically break down his opponents over the course of his bouts. Linares is never in a hurry to KO any of his opponents.

Linares reminds me a lot of middleweight Gennady “GGG” Golovkin with the way he places his punches and mixes up the power on his shots. Linares places his shots in the perfect spots to the body and head that results in his opponents feeling pain. Linares also can punch with a lot of power, but it’s his placement of his shots that makes him so good.

“I’m fighting the number one fighter in the division for the WBC, WBA and THE RING title; it doesn’t get any better than this. I’m very proud and privileged to be able to bring this fight to Manchester,” said Crolla.

I don’t know if I agree that Linares is the number one fighter in the lightweight division. Technically, he’s Ring Magazine’s number one fighter at lightweight, but I think you can argue that Zlaticanin is now the number one fighter at lightweight. I can’t see Linares beating Zlaticanin, and I do not see Crolla, Terry Flanagan, Rances Barthlemy, Yurorkis Gamboa, or Felix Verdejo beating him either. But if Crolla wants to call Linares the best, then more power to him. I do not agree with him.

Zlaticanin is the hot hand right now, and I see him beating everyone in the division. I don’t think we’ll see Zlaticanin getting a chance to fight all those guys though, because I see those guys staying away from him because he’s just too good right now. Zlaticanin easily beat Ricky Burns a couple of years ago.

“I know that Crolla is coming off a victory against my fellow Venezuelan, so I am coming in with a lot of determination, pride and hunger for a victory,” said Linares to skysports.com.

This fight will give Linares a chance to avenge fellow Venezuelan fighter Barroso’s loss to Crolla. Linares will be looking to show Barroso how you properly go about dismantling a fighter like Crolla. The way that Barroso attempted to defeat Crolla was obviously the wrong method. The proper way will be the slow, methodical approach that Linares will be showing. Linares is a methodical fighter like Crolla, but far, far better in my view. I think this is going to be a really bad match-up for Crolla. He’s been lucky in his last two fights in beating Barroso an Darleys Perez in fights that many boxing fans thought he’d lose, but I think his luck will run out against the talented Linares on September 24.

Prediction: Linares will win by 9th round knockout over a beaten and battered Crolla.

Here’s the WBC’s statement on the Linares vs. Crolla fight:

“WBC LIGHTWEIGHT DIVISION STATUS

Diamond Belt Contest – Linares vs Crolla in U.K.

The WBC Board of Governors wishes to report the status of the lightweight division.

Early in the year, Jorge Linares reached an agreement to fight Dejan Zlaticanin to comply with his mandatory title defense, but unfortunately Linares sustained an injury to his right hand. The WBC voted in favor of placing Linares as Champion in Recess and accepted the request by promoter DiBella Entertainment to sanction No. 1 ranked Zlaticanin vs No. 2 ranked Emiliano Marsili for the WBC lightweight championship.

The fight was scheduled for April, then eventually was moved to June 11 and Marsili had to pull out of the fight when he became ill. The WBC accepted to proceed with the title fight with the highest available contender, No. 5 ranked Franklin Mamani.

Zlaticanin won the lightweight championship with an impressive third-round knockout victory this past Saturday, becoming the first world champion from Montenegro.

The WBC Board of governors received a special request by Golden Boy Promotions and Matchroom Sport, and voted in favor of granting Linares a unification fight vs. WBA champion Anthony Crolla in a mega event in the U.K. in which the highly prestigious Diamond Belt will be at stake. The winner of Linares vs. Crolla is committed to fight Zlaticanin immediately in his next fight.

The WBC is committed to support and mediate to make the best fights possible , whenever possible and the lightweight division will certainly have 2 sensational events with these 2 matches in 2016.”