By Jim Maltzman: Jorge Linares will be taking a big step next month to put himself in line for a world title shot when he faces Javier Fortuna on Friday, August 28, on DAZN. The former three-division world champion Linares (47-5, 29 KOs) and Fortuna (35-2-1, 24 KOs) will have the WBC Diamond 135-pound title for the taking in their exciting clash.
The fight action begins at 5:00 pm PT / 8:00 pm ET.
The 12-round fight between Linares and Fortuna will be taking place at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California. The goal the 34-year-old Linares has in mind is to regain his throne as the top fighter in the lightweight division.
Linares lost that distinction two years ago when ‘Hi-Tech’ Vasiliy Lomachenko beat him by a 10th round TKO in December 2018., but it was a competitive fight. Unlike some of the other fighters Loma has beaten, Linares was competitive throughout the contest.
Jorge wants to be #1 again at 135
Linares has won his last two fights against Al Toyogon and Carlos Morales after a brief experiment at 140. That didn’t work out well for Linares, as he was knocked out in the first round by Pablo Cesar Cano in January of last year.
Cano surprised Linares with his power, and he put him down three times in the opening round to get the knockout. Linares was out of it after the first knockdown, and he couldn’t regain his wits after that.
If Linares beat Fortuna, it keeps him in line to get a title shot against WBC 135-lb champion Devin Haney.
“I’m ready to return to the top of the lightweight division,” said Linares. ‘I hope to provide everyone with a bit of diversion and excitement as I get closer to regaining my throne as the king of the 135-pound division.”
Former WBA super featherweight champion Fortuna will be looking to win his third consecutive fight when he steps inside the ring against Linares. Two years ago, Fortuna lost to Robert Easter Jr by a narrow 12 round decision in a competitive match-up.
In Fortuna’s last two fights, he’s beaten Sharif Bogere and Jesus Marcelo Andres Cuellar. Fortuna looked a lot better against those two compared to when he was seen diving through the ropes in his injury-related fourth-round no contest in his fight against Adrian Granados in June 2018.
Some boxing fans think Fortuna intentionally jumped out of the ring because he was taking punishment from Granados. If there’s any quit in Fortuna, Linares is someone that can bring it out of him with his offensive skills.