By Ian S Palmer
Former WBA and WBC Lightweight Champion Jorge Linares of Venezuela heads to Liverpool, England this Saturday, October 21st to take on southpaw Jack Catterall of Chorley, Lancashire. The 12-round junior welterweight contest can be seen live in most nations on DAZN. Catterall last fought in May when he beat Darragh Foley by a 10-round unanimous decision for the vacant WBA Inter-Continental Junior Welterweight Title. Linares last boxed in December when he dropped a 10-round unanimous decision to Zhora Hamazaryan in Russia for his third straight loss.
The 38-year-old Linares was defending the WBA Lightweight Title for the fourth time when he ran into Vasyl Lomachenko in May, 2018 and although he decked Lomachenko in the sixth round he was stopped in the 10th. He won the belt in 2016 and also defended it against Anthony Crolla twice by unanimous decisions, stopped Darleys Perez in the ninth round, edged Luke Campbell by split decision and then downed Mercito Gesta by unanimous decision.
After losing to Lomachenko he stopped Abner Cotto in the third round four months later. However, his hot streak ended in January, 2018 when Pablo Cesar Cano stopped him in the first round. Linares bounced back by beating Al Toyogon in a confidence-builder before stopping Carlos Morales in four rounds and then meeting Devin Haney in 2021 and dropping a 12-round unanimous decision in a shot at the WBC Lightweight Title to kick off his current three-fight losing skid.
He fought twice in Russia after losing to Haney as he was stopped in the 12th round by Zaur Abdullaev in a shot at the WBC Silver Lightweight Belt in February, 2022 and was beaten by Hamazaryan the last time out. After all of this action, fans will see Linares will enter the ring at 47-8 with 29 Ko’s. Linares has plenty of world-class experience and is also a former featherweight and super featherweight world champion who has recently been living in Japan. He won the vacant WBC Lightweight Belt in December, 2014 by stopping Javier Prieto in the fourth round in Tokyo. The WBC stripped him of it in February, 2016 though after suffering a hand injury and being unable to defend the title. They then named him WBC Diamond Champion for what it’s worth.
Linares’ other losses have been against Juan Salgado in 2009, Antonio DeMarco in 2011 and Sergio Thompson in 2012. Those defeats revealed a questionable chin since all three men stopped him as did Lomachenko, Cano and Abdullaev, meaning six of his eight defeats have come by stoppage. Linares’ biggest wins have been over Cotto, Campbell, Crolla (twice), Jesus Chavez, Oscar Larios, Nihito Arakawa and Rocky Juarez.
He stands 5-feet-8-inches tall with a 69-inch reach and has boxed 354 rounds since turning pro in 2002. Linares has decent power as 61.7 per cent of his victories have come by way of stoppage but has just two stoppages in his last 12 fights and has lost five of his last eight. He’s stopped just two opponents since October 2015 so his power appears to be declining at this point of his career.
The 30-year-old Catterall boasts a fine record of 27-1 with 13 Ko’s. He possesses average power with just 48.2 per cent of his wins coming by stoppage a current knockout ratio of 48.2 per cent and has gone the distance in six of his last seven bouts. He’s boxed 182 rounds since making his pro debut in 2012. Before that he enjoyed a pretty good amateur career in which he reportedly went 48-18 and captured a CYP title and reached the final of the Junior ABA’s.
Since turning pro he’s won a few regional and minor titles such as the BBBoC Central Area, WBO European, WBO Inter-Continental, and BBBoC British Super Lightweight Crowns. Catterall stands 5-feet-7-inches tall with a 69-inch reach which means he gives up an inch in height to Linares. He stepped up in class in 2022 against Josh Taylor in a shot at the undisputed Junior Welterweight Title and lost a controversial split decision after dropping the champion in the eighth round and each fighter later having a point deducted,
Catterall lost his for holding in the 10th round and Taylor for hitting after the bell in the 11th. His biggest wins up to then were against the likes of Nathan Brough, Thomas Stalker, Jarkko Putkonen, Jesus Rodriguez, Joe Hughes, Tyrone Nurse, Tyrone McKenna, Ohara Davies and Timo Schwarzkopf. He’ll be facing a name fighter in Linares this weekend but there’s no doubt his opponent is in the twilight of his career at the moment.
Prediction…
Linares is now 38 years old and has lost three fights in a row. He’s also moving back up from the 135 lb lightweight division to the 140 lb junior welterweight ranks. Catterall arguably beat Josh Taylor a couple of years ago but hasn’t done himself any favours with inactivity as this is just his second fight since then. Catterall needs to prove the performance against Taylor wasn’t a fluke and can’t afford a loss to the aging and declining Linares. Don’t count Linares out due to his experience and power but at this point of their careers I’m expecting Catterall to come out on top.
October 21st, 2023
Former WBA and WBC Lightweight Champion Jorge Linares of Venezuela heads to Liverpool, England this Saturday, October 21st to take on southpaw Jack Catterall of Chorley, Lancashire. The 12-round junior welterweight contest can be seen live in most nations on DAZN. Catterall last fought in May when he beat Darragh Foley by a 10-round unanimous decision for the vacant WBA Inter-Continental Junior Welterweight Title. Linares last boxed in December when he dropped a 10-round unanimous decision to Zhora Hamazaryan in Russia for his third straight loss.
The 38-year-old Linares was defending the WBA Lightweight Title for the fourth time when he ran into Vasyl Lomachenko in May, 2018 and although he decked Lomachenko in the sixth round he was stopped in the 10th. He won the belt in 2016 and also defended it against Anthony Crolla twice by unanimous decisions, stopped Darleys Perez in the ninth round, edged Luke Campbell by split decision and then downed Mercito Gesta by unanimous decision.
After losing to Lomachenko he stopped Abner Cotto in the third round four months later. However, his hot streak ended in January, 2018 when Pablo Cesar Cano stopped him in the first round. Linares bounced back by beating Al Toyogon in a confidence-builder before stopping Carlos Morales in four rounds and then meeting Devin Haney in 2021 and dropping a 12-round unanimous decision in a shot at the WBC Lightweight Title to kick off his current three-fight losing skid.
He fought twice in Russia after losing to Haney as he was stopped in the 12th round by Zaur Abdullaev in a shot at the WBC Silver Lightweight Belt in February, 2022 and was beaten by Hamazaryan the last time out. After all of this action, fans will see Linares will enter the ring at 47-8 with 29 Ko’s. Linares has plenty of world-class experience and is also a former featherweight and super featherweight world champion who has recently been living in Japan. He won the vacant WBC Lightweight Belt in December, 2014 by stopping Javier Prieto in the fourth round in Tokyo. The WBC stripped him of it in February, 2016 though after suffering a hand injury and being unable to defend the title. They then named him WBC Diamond Champion for what it’s worth.
Linares’ other losses have been against Juan Salgado in 2009, Antonio DeMarco in 2011 and Sergio Thompson in 2012. Those defeats revealed a questionable chin since all three men stopped him as did Lomachenko, Cano and Abdullaev, meaning six of his eight defeats have come by stoppage. Linares’ biggest wins have been over Cotto, Campbell, Crolla (twice), Jesus Chavez, Oscar Larios, Nihito Arakawa and Rocky Juarez.
He stands 5-feet-8-inches tall with a 69-inch reach and has boxed 354 rounds since turning pro in 2002. Linares has decent power as 61.7 per cent of his victories have come by way of stoppage but has just two stoppages in his last 12 fights and has lost five of his last eight. He’s stopped just two opponents since October 2015 so his power appears to be declining at this point of his career.
The 30-year-old Catterall boasts a fine record of 27-1 with 13 Ko’s. He possesses average power with just 48.2 per cent of his wins coming by stoppage a current knockout ratio of 48.2 per cent and has gone the distance in six of his last seven bouts. He’s boxed 182 rounds since making his pro debut in 2012. Before that he enjoyed a pretty good amateur career in which he reportedly went 48-18 and captured a CYP title and reached the final of the Junior ABA’s.
Since turning pro he’s won a few regional and minor titles such as the BBBoC Central Area, WBO European, WBO Inter-Continental, and BBBoC British Super Lightweight Crowns. Catterall stands 5-feet-7-inches tall with a 69-inch reach which means he gives up an inch in height to Linares. He stepped up in class in 2022 against Josh Taylor in a shot at the undisputed Junior Welterweight Title and lost a controversial split decision after dropping the champion in the eighth round and each fighter later having a point deducted,
Catterall lost his for holding in the 10th round and Taylor for hitting after the bell in the 11th. His biggest wins up to then were against the likes of Nathan Brough, Thomas Stalker, Jarkko Putkonen, Jesus Rodriguez, Joe Hughes, Tyrone Nurse, Tyrone McKenna, Ohara Davies and Timo Schwarzkopf. He’ll be facing a name fighter in Linares this weekend but there’s no doubt his opponent is in the twilight of his career at the moment.
Prediction…
Linares is now 38 years old and has lost three fights in a row. He’s also moving back up from the 135 lb lightweight division to the 140 lb junior welterweight ranks. Catterall arguably beat Josh Taylor a couple of years ago but hasn’t done himself any favours with inactivity as this is just his second fight since then. Catterall needs to prove the performance against Taylor wasn’t a fluke and can’t afford a loss to the aging and declining Linares. Don’t count Linares out due to his experience and power but at this point of their careers I’m expecting Catterall to come out on top.
