MASTERCLASS
What it’s like to watch a peak Jorge Linares unleash his box of tricks
‘NO LIE, I WAS ALRIGHT. I NEEDED THE STOPPAGE’
AFTER the 11th round of Jorge Linares’ unanimous decision victory over Anthony Crolla in Manchester, the local hero was almost pulled out by his trainer Joe Gallagher.
Joe motioned to referee Howard Foster that he was saving his man – who had been outclassed and outgunned – for another day, but Crolla pleaded to be let out for the 12th. He knew he needed a knockout, and he knew it wasn’t likely, but there was no way he would not hear that final bell. It was yet another example of the deep, deep bravery that has made Crolla an enormously popular fighter.
“Joe wanted to pull me out and I pleaded to let me go on. No lie, I was alright. Joe was thinking that he [Linares] was in his rhythm and I needed the stoppage and it probably wasn’t going to come,” he said after the fight.
“You ask any fighter, it’s not me being brave, no one would want to be stopped with a round to go and that’s all. In the 12th round I was never in danger of getting stopped. I’m really thankful Joe didn’t pull me out.”
There were murmurs during fight week that Linares, having outpointed Crolla last September to win the WBA lightweight title, saw this immediate rematch as “easy money”. He was certainly made to work for his purse, but from round two onwards he was always a step ahead of Crolla.
Things were quiet in the opener as both men analysed the minor tweaks and improvements the other had made since their last meeting. Linares landed a swift left uppercut but Crolla managed to find a home for one of his signature left hooks to the body.
Crolla, boxing behind his usual high guard, forced Linares to work more in
the second but the champion was happy to oblige, feinting with a half-jab before slotting a full one into Crolla’s mid-section numerous times. His unpredictable variety makes him a nightmare to fight.
Linares oozed class in the third, prying Crolla’s arms apart with a jab before jarring his head backward with a perfectly-timed right uppercut.
Crolla closed the distance well in the fourth and snapped Linares’ head back with his ramrod jab. The champion’s fluid work looked mesmerising, but Crolla caught a lot of the shots on his arms, though it later transpired that the challenger suffered a rib injury in this round.
Linares showed further glimpses of the rather dizzy levels he can reach in the fifth, tagging Crolla with some cutting shots. The Mancunian would not relent, but it was startlingly clear that he was up against a prime Linares and that truly is a sight to behold. His feet are tremendous but it’s the brutal artistry he creates with his hands that marks the Venezuelan out as one of the finest fighters to box in the UK in recent history.
Things only got worse for the challenger in the sixth as a cut opened over his left eye off a Linares right hand. Then, in the seventh, Linares almost closed the show when a looping left uppercut dropped Crolla badly. Jorge smelled blood and tore into Crolla on the ropes, but Anthony soaked up the punishment and fought back to survive the round.
He then did something remarkable and, tapping into his seemingly endless reserves, won the eighth round and even made the ice-cool Linares look ragged. With the crowd baying him on, Crolla continued his assault in the ninth but Linares – who is just as effective on the inside as he is from range – returned fire and another left uppercut forced Crolla to back off.
Anthony couldn’t sustain his pace in the 10th, allowing Linares to gather himself for a terrific finish to the fight. He rediscovered his rhythm and peppered Crolla with shots while “Million Dollar” failed to pin him down.
His first win over Crolla was convincing but this one was irresistible. Even the Manchester crowd, who had booed Linares to the ring, had to applaud his masterful performance at the final bell. Scores were 118-109 from all three judges, which is exactly how Boxing News scored it.
Crolla remains the only man to force Linares to go the full championship distance and he’s done it twice. That he’s done that, after struggling to win the English title against Kieran Farrell in 2012, is a phenomenal achievement. His last five fights have been one of the toughest runs in world boxing and there is no shame in losing to a wizard like Linares, especially when he brings his full bag of tricks. “I’m going to have a little break with my family now. I’ll have to watch it back. I’ll be back but I’ll have a think, sit down, see what the next step is,” Crolla said. “I believe there’ll be plenty of option, plenty of big fights for us and I want to be in those big fights. But I’ll go away now, rest up, I think I’ve had a pretty tough two years fight-wise. “[Terry Flanagan] is certainly an option, there’ll be plenty of options. I’ve got no problem fighting any fighter in the division as long as it’s a good fight and makes sense.” His promoter, Eddie Hearn, floated the idea of Crolla moving up and fighting the Ricky Burns-julius Indongo winner. Linares will be matched with WBC champion Mikey Garcia, most likely in America, in a mouth-watering clash though his promoter Oscar De La Hoya, who was ringside, also mentioned the possibility of returning to fight WBO champion Terry Flanagan. The Venezuelan thanked the Manchester fans and credited Crolla for having “big balls”. Truer words were never spoken.
THE VERDICT Crolla runs out of miracles as Linares is near-faultless.
TURN OVER For the rest of the show featuring Jack Arnfield vs Brian Rose and much more.
‘I’LL GO AWAY AND REST UP, I’VE HAD A PRETTY TOUGH TWO YEARS’