By Gerardo Granados: This Saturday, on May 12 at the Madison Square Garden, World Boxing Association lightweight champion Jorge Linares will try to defend his title against challenger WBO super feather Champion Vasyl Lomachenko.
In a boxing era in which it is simply not common anymore, we will have a unique chance to watch a fight between two elite boxing champions without the excuse of the need of previously have to marinate it.
The winner could build a solid case to climb to the number one spot at the pound for pound list, but the boxers better not forget to please the crowd that will pay to watch them fight.
The former WBO feather and current WBO super feather Champion Vasyl Lomachenko holds a record of ten wins only one loss (nine wins with only one loss in title fights in a span of four years), will try to win a world title at a third weight division against Linares. The former WBC feather and lightweight, former WBA super feather and current WBA lightweight Champion Jorge Linares hold a record of 44 wins only 3 losses (eleven wins two losses at title bouts).
No one can argue that Linares is as talented as experienced. Jorge has polished boxing skills, great hand speed but he is not that hard to be hit or to get cut. Lomachenko´s footwork and balance are something that we cannot see very often. Vasyl puzzles his opposition with his constant lateral movement and also by constantly changing angles. He is one of those boxers that know exactly what to do all the time when he is inside the ring. His ring smarts – IQ and quick thinking allow him to become a Matrix for his opposition.
But, will their fighting styles mix well and deliver an epic battle? Well, I guess there is only one way to find out.
This bout could as well end up as a technical boxing chess match in the first half, but in the second part, we could get to see if such talented Linares can represent a real challenge for Lomachenko. If the reader compares the last five opponents of both Lomachenko and Linares, we could see that only Vasyl has engaged a difficult elite boxer in the name of Guillermo Rigondeaux and a dangerous puncher in the name of Nicholas Walters. Whilst Linares last five opponents, were quite tailor-made for him to look great.
Yes, it is true that Lomachenko has never faced a foe as talented as Linares is. It is also true that Vasyl is moving up in weight, but it is also a fact that Linares has never been inside the ring against an opponent that resembles Vasyl´s boxing skills. I think that Linares is ripe to pick for Lomachenko. I believe Jorge lacks the punching power or the inside game required to pressure and trouble Lomachenko. Please don’t get me wrong Linares is a really good boxer, perhaps not as good as Guillermo Rigondeaux is and although Jorge established himself at the 135 pounds limit and has the size edge, I am still going to bet on Lomachenko to stop Linares late on cuts and I won’t be surprised if Vasyl wins by an early knockout.
A friend of mine asked me if Linares was going to quit against Lomachenko. I replied to him that even that I think that Linares is tailor-made for Lomachenko, that I doubt that Linares would quit as previous Vasyl four opponents in a row. Maybe the ring Doctor or his corner would stop the bout, but I doubt that Linares pride would allow him to quit.
But what about the reader, do you agree?