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Jorge Linares will shine against unheralded Mercito Gesta

By Jeremy Herriges

INGLEWOOD, CA - SEPTEMBER 23: (L-R) Referee Jack Reiss, Jorge Linares of Venezuela and Oscar de la Hoya share a picture after Linares defeated by decision Luke Campbell in their WBA lightweight title bout at The Forum on September 23, 2017 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
INGLEWOOD, CA - SEPTEMBER 23: (L-R) Referee Jack Reiss, Jorge Linares of Venezuela and Oscar de la Hoya share a picture after Linares defeated by decision Luke Campbell in their WBA lightweight title bout at The Forum on September 23, 2017 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /
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Nearly six years ago, Jorge Linares was in a career slump losing back-to-back fights by knockout. Today, he’s regarded as the best lightweight in the world. Here’s how he’s risen to the top.

No one ever claimed that Jorge Linares didn’t have talent, but six years ago he was on the verge of having his potential go unrealized.

Linares is one of the world’s best boxers today, but his route to success was unconventional. He was an amateur standout in his home country of Venezuela, moved to Japan to begin his professional career, moved his camp to Las Vegas and now resides in London. He’s experienced a lot of changes and hardship in his boxing career, but he’s put it all together.

Linares became a world champion in 2007 a month before his 27th birthday. He continued to have success for two more years, moving up to super featherweight and winning the WBA title. It looked like he was on his way to superstardom, but adversity hit in 2009 when he was stopped in Round 1 against Juan Carlos Salgado.

His first loss looked like a fluke after he went on to win four in a row. Unfortunately, he faced more hardship when he lost back-to-back fights against Antonio DeMarco and Sergio Thompson. Linares was beating DeMarco and was well ahead on the scorecards, but his face was a bloody mess and he was fading down the stretch. The referee stopped the fight because he was unable to defend himself.

Against Thompson, Linares’s defensive liabilities led to him being knocked down and badly cut. The fight was stopped in Round 2, and he lost the fight because of his cut. He was coached by Freddie Roach, but Roach wasn’t getting the best out of Linares.

He found his way to Cuban trainer Ismael Salas. Salas may not have the name recognition of Freddie Roach, but his résumé is on par. He has coached numerous world champions and Olympic medalists throughout his career. Salas seems to be the catalyst for Linares’s renewed success. Since teaming up with Salas in 2013, Linares has been flawless in the ring.

Linares’s defensive skills and boxing IQ improved greatly under Salas. He maintains head movement when attacking and avoids getting sucked into brawls like he once did. He’s measured, balanced and relaxed.

Linares defends his WBA lightweight title against unheralded contender Mercito Gesta on Saturday, Jan. 27. Gesta has no notable victories. He’s a sacrificial lamb for Linares. He’s an opponent that Linares should look exceptional against and that will keep him active. Gesta is no threat to Linares, so his fame should continue to grow.

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The only true test for Linares in the lightweight division is Mikey Garcia unless someone like Vasyl Lomachenko moves up from junior lightweight. Gesta is an easy payday for Linares — nothing more. Linares should stop Gesta inside of 10 rounds.

Hopefully, Linares will get a mega-fight this year against an opponent like Garcia. If Linares were to beat Garcia, then Salas’s impact on Linares would be nothing short of miraculous. The duo will look good against Gesta, but to be exceptional, they need a victory against an elite boxer like Mikey Garcia.

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