On a night when Bernard Hopkins and Winky Wright engaged in 12 rather unwatchable rounds, and Michael Katsidis laid his claim as the heir apparent to Arturo Gatti, Japan-based Venezuelan Jorge Linares marked his arrival as a player with his clinical dissection of Oscar Larios to capture the WBC featherweight title this past Saturday in Las Vegas.
Coming into this bout, Linares was known in boxing circles as a heralded prospect that had made his name by holding his own against Manny Pacquiao in a few sparring sessions the past year or so. Yet only a few insiders had knowledge of this fistic prodigy.
Now, the secret is out for everyone to see – Linares could be the real thing.
“I have to be the happiest man on earth,” he would tell Maxboxing through various translators on Sunday night. Despite this being his initial bout on American soil and his first world title contest, he showed no apprehension. “Because of my conditioning and my camp had gone so well, I wasn’t nervous at all.”
What was impressive is that Linares, who improved his mark to 24-0, just got better as the night went along, and slowly picked apart the game ‘Chololo’ with a wide variety of punches that flowed so freely from all angles. Whether moving forward, holding his ground or circling laterally, Linares displayed an ability to meld his offense and defense in a professional and entertaining manner.
In stopping Larios in ten, he earned the effusive praise of the HBO broadcast crew, which was seeing him for the first time.
“I thought he was fantastic with his performance,” gushed Emanuel Steward to Maxboxing. “Naturally, his skills were good – very fast, precision punches, used a little footwork, which is something you don’t see too much today from fighters – but more so than that, the pressure that was being put on him. It was tremendous pressure being put on him, he was picking, slipping, and it was fast pressure, too. I was wondering if he was going to wilt under it.
“He not only didn’t wilt, he just systematically broke this guy down.”
And he’s just 21 years old. But he shows a certain poise and demeanor that suggests that he just may have ‘it’.
“In the room, we just interviewed him, you could just feel a superstar quality about him,” said Steward of HBO’s pre-fight fighter meeting with Linares. “He never said too much, but you could just feel the vibration all in there. He’s a very, very focused, determined, intelligent fighter. He just seems to love what he’s doing. He’s very intense, you can see it. He’s just got all the superstar qualities about him.”
He has all the tangibles. But the special ones also possess the intangibles that separate them from the pack.
“He’s fundamentally sound, he does everything well,” notes Steward. “But the most important thing is – and what I always look for – he’s mentally durable. He’s a tough guy.”
OK, OK, but before we all start scripting his induction speech to Canastota, let’s keep this in perspective – he was fighting an aged fighter in Larios, whose best days were at 122 pounds and who was never considered a puncher.
“I thought he did OK for a 21-year old, stepping up to the plate and he won,” said Rudy Hernandez, brother of former jr. lightweight standout Genaro ‘Chicanito’ Hernandez, who worked Linares’ corner. “It was a fight that he should’ve won and he had to win. I think that it was a helluva experience for him. We hope better things come his way.”
Hernandez was among the very first in this country to extol the virtues of Linares, having seen him during his travels to Japan and due to his close relationship with Teiken Promotions, which handles the youngster’s career. He is both conservative and hopeful when it comes to Linares’ future.
When you ask him if Linares is boxing’s best featherweight, currently, he flatly says, “No. You can’t take away credit where credit is due,” alluding to guys like Robert Guerrero, Chris John, Steven Luevano and Rocky Juarez, who have been on the scene much longer. “You have other champions and until he’s proven himself, then it would be OK to say, ‘He’s the best featherweight in the world, now.’ But until he’s proven himself, that would be unfair to the other guys.”
But when you ask the veteran trainer if Linares, nicknamed ‘the Golden Boy’, a la Oscar De La Hoya, if he can develop into one of the game’s premier pound-for-pound performers in a few years, he is equally as strong in his opinion.
“Of course I can see him there. I think three, four years from now, he’ll be up there. He could be one of the top three, maybe. Remember, he’s 21, give him another three years, he’ll be 24. That will be the prime of his career.”
The immediate plan is to keep him active.
“If In-Jin Chi accepts the fight, our next fight will be against him. Possibly in October or November in Tokyo,” said Akihiko Honda, who runs Teiken Promotions.
As for his next American appearance, Honda would say, “After that fight we would like to bring him back to the United States.”
This past weekend’s card was promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, and many industry insiders believed that Golden Boy had secured a long-term deal with Linares and Teiken.
“He’s a free agent,” clarified the promoter, who says that his company will be looking for a promotional partner to aid their endeavors on American soil.
“I have quite a few people who are interested,” stated Honda.
Which shouldn’t be a surprise. He could be the most sought after free agent in 2008 outside of A-Rod.
But Linares just wants to fight and add some more belts to his collection.
“I want to defend the title and attain the WBA title, as well.”
BIG FIGHT FALL
So how are talks moving along for Miguel Cotto-Shane Mosley?
“Everything is progressing nicely,” said Bob Arum to Maxboxing on Tuesday afternoon. The date being thrown around is November 10th, quite possibly at Madison Square Garden in the Big Apple. “That’s a very good possibility,” confirmed Arum.
Also being strongly discussed is a bout between Floyd Mayweather and Ricky Hatton for December 1st. So why would Hatton take Mayweather when a De La Hoya fight could be in the offing? From what I’m told, waiting for De La Hoya means waiting till next spring, something that the Mancunian isn’t willing to do.
Also, since there’s no more money left in the 2007 HBO budget, his next bout would have to be a pay-per-view outing, which the Mayweather bout would be.
‘THE GREAT’
Also making quite an impression on the ‘Coming to Fight’ undercard was WBO lightweight belt-holder Michael Katsidis, who battled hard against Filipino Czar Amonsot in winning a unanimous decision where he suffered multiple cuts and shed some of his own blood.
“He’s fine,” said his manager/trainer Brendan Smith. “He’s stitched up and it’s just a little healing process now. He’s a quick healer. He’s fine. So to exactly when he’ll be back, look, I’m not quite sure, but possibly he may fight in December or January.”
BRIGHT IDEA
This has been brought up to me by more than one person – how bout instead of showing Vernon Forrest-Carlos Baldomir and the replay of Hopkins-Wright on this weekend’s edition of ‘Boxing After Dark’, HBO, instead re-air Linares-Larios and Katsidis-Amonsot?
That would be more like ‘Boxing After Dark’, wouldn’t it?
MID-WEEK FLURRIES
Jesse Feliciano has been finalized as Kermit Cintron’s opponent on September 8th on the Fernando Vargas-Ricardo Mayorga undercard in Los Angeles….It’s funny, Vargas had said that his last bout would be billed ‘For Pride’, but now, after their melee at the Staples Center a couple of weeks back, the fight is now being called ‘the Brawl’….So Notre Dame will be discontinuing their rivalry with Michigan in 2011, and Boston College too? What, did they get NBC to sign a deal with HBO or something?…..Yes, ‘College Football Live’ on ESPN is being recorded daily by Mr. Kim….Anyone not tear up on the season’s premiere of ‘Hogan Knows Best’? I hope those crazy kids make it….Larry Merchant will be working this weekend’s broadcast on ‘BAD’, along with Steward and Bob Papa…..
