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By: Hans Themistode
It was the worst kept secret in boxing, but undefeated Lightweight contender Ryan Garcia will make a huge step up in class as he takes on former three division champion Jorge Linares. In terms of who broke the news, it was none other than Ryan Garcia himself.
“Jorge Linares is my next fight on July 11 at the Staples Center,” said Ryan Garcia on social media in announcing his next fight. “Share it with your friends. Support me on my journey and quest to shock the world.”
Although Garcia is correct in terms of who his next opponent will be, the actual fight will more than likely fall on another date as the Staples is currently completely booked on July 11th.
As previously mentioned, Linares will represent the best opponent that Garcia has ever stepped inside of the ring with. The now 21 year old Garcia has been progressing through his career at a slow but consistent rate. Facing slightly better opposition each and every time he has stepped foot inside of the ring.
Since joining trainer Eddy Reynoso, who is best known for his work with pound-for-pound star Canelo Alvarez, Garcia has looked like an entirely different fighter. The pair have strung together four straight knockout wins. Including the last two coming in the very first round.
Garcia (21-0, 17 KOs) has been very good throughout his career, but the now 34 year old Jorge Linares has been great.
It wasn’t that long ago that the former three division world champion went undefeated for six straight years. During that run, he defeated a long list of contenders including Kevin Mitchell and Luke Campbell while also defeating former champion Anthony Crolla.
For all the skills that Linares has put on display throughout his career, he has always been viewed as a bit of an underachiever. Yet, his 2018 contest against Vasiliy Lomachenko, the man many believe is the best fighter in the world, put an end to that storyline.
Linares gave Lomachenko what many believe was the toughest fight of his career. He may have come out on the losing end of it, but his stock soared.
After a failed jump up to the Super Lightweight division, Linares has picked up two quality wins and now looks to add Garcia to his potential hall of fame resume.
Many would consider this a difficult fight for both men. And since Linares is 34 and seemingly out of his prime, all signs point to Garcia pulling off the victory. Well, after the statement that Linares made just a few months ago, you might want to rethink that.
“This time how many round you can do?” Said Linares on his social media account a few months ago. “Because I remember that you could only do some round when we sparred. And can you win 3 world belts? You have to stop talking so much and fight.”
It seems as though Garcia has decided to take the advice of Linares to stop talking and simply fight.
