By Dan Ambrose: Jorge Linares announced his retirement on Saturday night following his twelve round unanimous decision defeat against Jack Catterall at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool.
The 21-year veteran Linares (47-9, 29 KOs) gave it his best shot tonight, landing since beautiful right hands, forcing Catterall (28-1, 13 KOs) to fight a technical battle. It was a great performance from both fighters.
Tonight, Linares didn’t have the size or the inside game to deal with what Catterall brought to the table.
Linares fought as well as any fighter brought up from the 135-lb weight class would under the circumstances, but he didn’t have the right tools against this type of opponent. If Catterall had a stationary fighter, Linares would have stood a better chance tonight.
“Happy, super happy, I don’t care if I lost,” said Jorge Linares to Boxing UK moments after his loss to Jack Catterall tonight at the Echo Arena in Liverpool.
“I’m a three-time world champion. I’m a very blessed guy,” Linares continued. “So to finish like this is amazing; it’s a big thing for me. I’m super happy to be here and to show myself who I am and how I finish the fight by a decision. It’s important to me.
Catterall got the win by the scores 117-111, 116-112, and 116-112. Boxing News scored it 118-110 for Catterall, who had the right game plan to deal with the speed & power of the smaller father Linares.
The defeat for Linares was his fourth consecutive since 2021 and a signal that it was time to walk away from the game.
“I came here to enjoy. Yes, I made everyone happy. That’s a good thing. Yes, this is the last fight,” said Linares when asked if he’s retiring. “I love boxing; I love to be in the gym. I can help [trainer] Ismael Salas in the gym. Maybe I can open a gym. I have a lot of opportunities. I can work on TV and do whatever I want.
Linares won his world title at featherweight in 2007, defeating Gamaliel Díaz by an eight round knockout to capture the WBC belt.
Less than a year later, Linares became a two-division world champion, beating Whyber Garcia by a fifth round knockout to win the WBA super featherweight belt in November 2008.
In December 2014, Linares captured his third-division world title with a fourth round knockout of Javier Prieto
“I want to rest a little bit. I made a beautiful story all my life, and that’s why I finish super happy. I don’t need to show anybody who I am. That’s why I train so hard to make a beautiful show.
“The only thing I want to say is thank you everybody, and congratulations to Jack [Catterall]. The UK is the best,” said Linares.
