Jorge Linares outclasses Anthony Crolla in rematch, sets up bout with Mikey Garcia

The lightweight titleholder could be headed toward a summer unification against the WBC champ

After their first fight was hailed as one of boxing’s best of 2016, Jorge Linares made sure his lightweight title rematch with Anthony Crolla on Saturday wasn’t so much a fight as a boxing exhibition. 

With the right hand injury that hampered him in their first meeting fully healed, Linares (42-3, 27 KOs) was masterful in pitching a near shutout of Crolla, in the former titleholder’s backyard of Manchester, England. All three judges scored the fight 118-109. CBS Sports scored it for Linares, 119-108 . 

Unlike the first fight last September, which featured alternating shifts of momentum, Linares controlled distance throughout and avoided getting caught by anything Crolla (31-6-3, 13 KOs) could muster. Linares opened up a cut above the right eye of Crolla in Round 6 and floored him with a gorgeous left uppercut in Round 7. 

Linares, 31, who has won world titles in three divisions, made the first defense of his WBA title. Talk after the fight instantly shifted toward a matchup against WBC titlist Mikey Garcia (36-0, 30 KOs), who joined Showtime’s broadcast team on Saturday, and was impressed by Linares’ performance. 

“Congratulations to Jorge, he looked great,” Garcia said. “He obviously performed better than the first night. This time he outboxed Crolla a lot easier. He showed skills, flexibility moving around the ring, combinations and power by dropping him with the uppercut.” 

Crolla, 30, did his best work immediately after being knocked down, rallying in Rounds 8 and 9 to back Linares up with pressure as he took advantage of the smaller 18-foot ring. The Manchester Arena crowd, which was vocal with chants early on, began to reawaken. 

But Linares never broke, despite having a history of allowing his opponents back into fights he was dominating throughout his career. The native of Venezuela used uppercuts and slick boxing to score points and circle away from trouble. 

After Round 11, Crolla’s trainer, Joe Gallagher, attempted to call off the fight until Crolla talked him out of it. 

Garcia, who scored a vicious knockout of Dejan Zlaticanin to win his title in January, wants a unification bout with Linares later this year.

“I think it would be a great, great fight with me,” Garcia said. “I look forward to that. I hope we can get that as soon as possible. He didn’t get cut, I don’t see him injured. I think we can get it into works and maybe fight him this summer, maybe late July.”