The resurrection and evolution of champion Jorge Linares

 Today, Jorge Linares is one of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world. Six years ago, he experienced his third loss and his career was in turmoil.

Jorge Linares (44-3, 27 KOs) is the WBA lightweight champion of the world. He has won titles in three different divisions throughout his nearly 16-year professional boxing career. Linares is the No. 1 lightweight in the world according to Boxrec.com.

At 32 years old, Linares is at the peak of his athletic prime. His current standing among boxings best is extraordinary considering that six years ago the promise of his career was almost extinguished.

Linares might be one of the most undervalued champions in all of boxing. Athletically, he’s the complete package. He’s blessed with fast hands and good power. Linares has quick feet which aid his balance and nimble movement around the ring. Mentally, Linares possesses keen reaction time which fortifies his defensive skills.

With all of his physical and mental powers, it’s hard to believe that Linares has three losses on his record. It’s nearly inconceivable that Linares has been knocked out in all of his losses, but it’s true.

Regardless of how invincible any man looks in the ring, the truth is that they’re still human. They’re still flawed. Linares is no different.

In 2007, just a month before his 23rd birthday, Linares appeared to have no flaws. He stopped Oscar Larios in the 10th round to win the WBC featherweight title. After winning his first major world title, Linares was regarded as a young phenom.

Linares easily defended his title and won another as a super featherweight. He defended that title once as well, but then disaster struck. In 2009, Juan Carlos Salgado shocked Linares, knocking him down twice in the first round. The doctor stopped the fight. Linares lost.

If Linares doubted himself after his surprising defeat, he didn’t show it. He won his next four fights and earned a title shot against Antonio DeMarco in 2011.

Linares had Freddie Roach in his corner against DeMarco. He had every reason to feel confident and his confidence grew throughout the early stages of the fight. Linares outboxed DeMarco and was winning rounds with ease.

But as the old saying goes, pride comes before the fall. Linares learned this lesson the hard way.

Linares’s overconfidence became problematic around round six. Well ahead on the scorecards, Linares fought recklessly. His movement around the ring slowed, and he started to engage in toe-to-toe skirmishes with DeMarco.

Linares continued to win rounds, but DeMarco landed meaningful punches. At the end of the seventh, Linares bled from the bridge of his nose and he fought DeMarco on the inside. His eye bled from a bad cut at the end of the eighth.

As the fight continued, Linares absorbed more punishment and his face was masked in his own blood. Linares ate a succession of punches in the eleventh and the referee stopped the fight. He had a second loss on his record.

Linares made youthful mistakes against DeMarco. He became infatuated with his natural talent and underestimated his opponent. He paid the price for his hubris.

DeMarco exposed a chink in Linares’ armor—his face breaks up under pressure.

After the DeMarco fight, Linares fought Sergio Thompson five months later. Thompson brutalized Linares in the second round. He knocked Linares down and cut him badly over the left eye. The doctor stopped the fight and Linares tasted defeat for the third time.

Linares’s reputation took a hit. Usually, when a boxer loses back-to-back bouts by knockout, their boxing days are numbered. He and Roach parted ways. In a January 2018 interview with FightHub TV (via Bad Left Hook), Roach had spiteful words regarding Linares and his ability.

In reference to Linares’s losses to DeMarco and Thompson, Roach said, “Ask him why he lost! Did he have his girlfriend in the dressing room the whole time and I threw her out and he got mad at me? And is that why he lost, because he wasn’t focused on the fight?”

Roach continued, “You have to be focused and ready for this and he’s like babysitting the girl — he doesn’t remember that part of why he lost? I didn’t make him quit that night! He quit because he was bleeding! And he doesn’t like blood.”

Roach also called Linares “a lazy fighter.” When there is a disagreement between two parties, it’s likely that both sides are telling partial truths. Roach’s explanation, to a degree, makes sense. If Linares lacked focus and didn’t put in 100 percent while training, then his losses should come as no surprise.

However, Roach wasn’t able to bring the best out of Linares. Linares connected with trainer Ismael Salas, former trainer of the Cuban National Team. Where the combination of Linares and Roach failed, Salas and Linares thrived.

Since teaming up with Salas, Linares is undefeated. He has a 13-fight winning streak over the last five, almost six years. Under Salas’s guidance, Linares has matured as a boxer. He’s focused, better conditioned and more intelligent as a fighter.

Linares learned from his failures. He carefully selects when to be a counterpuncher and when to be the aggressor. Linares has something today that he didn’t have six years ago—wisdom. The only way to attain wisdom is through trials and tribulations. Linares’s career is steeped in both.

Linares has made the most out of his second act. On Saturday, May 12, defends his title against Vasiliy Lomachenko. Linares finds himself in unfamiliar territory as the underdog against Lomachenko.

Many believe that Lomachenko is the best boxer in the world. He’s a monumental test for Linares, but Linares has been tested before. Linares has failed in the past, but he also resurrected a career that most believed was mortally wounded.

Next: De la Hoya "Finalizing" Liddell vs Ortiz III

Linares’s return to championship status is an exceptional accomplishment. Linares should be congratulated and revered for his resolve and determination. Linares might lose to Lomachenko, but his ability to evolve and flourish from the brink of career destruction cement his legacy as a champion inside the ring and out.