https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pP8etSVCDBU
By Scott Gilfoid: Anthony Crolla (31-4-3, 13 KOs) successfully weighed in on Friday in coming in at 134.3 pounds for his title defense against Jorge Linares (40-3, 27 K0s) for their fight on Saturday night at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England. Linares, 31, weighed in at 134.2lbs.
The one thing that jumped at me in looking at the two fighters was how painfully thin Linares looked. He looks like he had problems drying out to make weight. We’ll see if Linares fades on Saturday night when the match goes into the second half. As thin and unhealthy as Linares looked today at the weigh-in, I’d be surprised if he doesn’t gas out in the fight in the later rounds.
Crolla, 29, will be defending his World Boxing Association lightweight belt on Saturday. The winner of the fight will need to face WBC lightweight champion Dejan Zlaticanin in their next fight. I think that’s going to be a really tough fight for either of these guys, considering how hard Zlaticanin hits. It doesn’t matter if the fight is staged in the Manchester Arena.
The crowd can be cheering at high pitch for Crolla all night long, but that’s not going to stop Zlaticanin from looking to smash him with every shot. I mean, I don’t rate Zlaticanin as highly as the other lightweights in the division like Robert Easter Jr., Mikey Garcia, Terry Flanagan or Felix Verdejo, but I think he’s more than good enough to beat Crolla or Linares.
There are a lot of Crolla fans that are assuming that he’s going to beat Linares. They seem to be really emotionally counting on the fight, as if he’s already won the fight. I hope they don’t take it too hard if Crolla fails to do the job on Saturday night. The problem with Crolla is he’s more of a blue collar type of fighter than someone with a ton of talent. Crolla wins his fights based on hard work, and obviously his loyal boxing fans help him win by cheering so much.
Frankly, I think Crolla should have three more losses on his resume than his current record shows. I think Crolla lost his second fight against Derry Mathews, his match against Gavin Rees and his first fight against Darleys Perez. I thought Crolla should have lost the fights back then, and after re-watching all of them, I’m even more certain that he should have lost all three of them. I’m just wondering if we’re going to see a controversial ending on Saturday night with Crolla getting a win or a draw in a fight that he appeared to lose. I hope not, because it would look bad if Crolla winds up in another fight with a controversial outcome.
What is so off putting about the Crolla vs. Linares fight on Saturday is that the winner of the fight could wind up as Ring Magazine’s lightweight champion. As much as I like Linares and Crolla, I do NOT rate them as being the best in the lightweight division. I’m sorry, but the winner of the Crolla-Linares fight won’t be the best fighter in the lightweight division. Ring Magazine can rate them as the No.1 fighter in the division if they want, but I won’t do that.
If you throw Linares or Crolla into the ring with the likes of Mikey Garcia or Robert Easter, I see them losing badly. I don’t think it would even go to the cards, because those guys can punch. I think the Crolla-Linares fight is a nice little fight between a paper champion and a former three division world champion, but I don’t think either of them are the best in the division or even the fifth best. Crolla and Linares are just decent fighters, but not great or even close to great.
Here’s where I rate Crolla and Linares in the lightweight rankings in the division:
1. Mikey Garcia
2. Robert Easter Jr
3. Dejan Zlaticanin
4. Richard Commey
5. Rances Barthlemy
6. Denis Shafikov
7. Felix Verdejo
8. Terry Flanagan
9. Sharif Bogere
10. Yuriorkis Gamboa
11. Jose Felix Jr.
12. Jorge Linares
13. Luke Campbell
14. Mickey Bey
15. Anthony Crolla
I just don’t see Crolla or Linares having the talent of some of the other top lightweights in the division. I’m sorry, but being a champion mean zero nowadays with the way each division is watered down with four to five belts available. Crolla is champion, but only because he beat a mediocre fighter in Darleys Perez. Crolla didn’t beat a good fighter to win his WBA lightweight belt. Let’s be serious.
If Crolla was thrown into the ring with Mikey Garcia or Robert Easter Jr, do you honestly believe he would beat either of those guys? I think it would be a total slaughter if Crolla fought either of those guys. Crolla is a decent blue collar fighter, but he doesn’t have a lot of talent in my opinion. He’s just some guy that fights at home in Manchester, gets a ton of cheering, and has been lucky to dodge several defeats during his career. If you put Crolla in with a talented lightweight like Mikey Garcia, it wouldn’t be pretty.
The Crolla-Linares fight will be televised on Sky Sports in the UK. It’s also going to be shown on AWE in the States.