Pablo Cesar Cano destroyed the highly favorite Jorge Linares in the very first round of their super lightweight title at the Madison Square Garden in New York.

Cano, (32-7-1, 22 KOs) was all over Linares from the beginning of the fight. It is obvious that Cano was the bigger fighter and so he imposed his advantage early on resulting in three knockdowns and thereafter the referee stopped the fight.

The official time of the stoppage was 2:48 seconds of the opening round.

The first knockdown was a result of a clean right that landed on the neck of Linares as Cano was swinging hard at Linares.

Linares (45-5, 28 KOs) managed to beat the count and went on to fight. Cano was determined to finish the fight early sensing the vulnerability of Linares at that point.

Cano then landed a two-punch combo with the last one landed on Linares' jaw that sent him hard to the floor. The second knockdown really raises the alarm for Linares.

Linares got back up and traded punches with the very determined challenger and then boom! A loaded big right hand landed on Linares' ear that sent him back again to the floor for the third time.

Since the three-knockdown rule isn't in effect the referee let the fight continue as Linares was able to bet the count.

Cano yet again landed a clean shot that staggered Linares to the ropes prompting the referee to step in and stopped the contest.

“He surprised me with the big right hand. He had power in his punch.
It was so different. Five pounds is so different. But before at 135, I was feeling better but I moved to 140 because it was too hard to make. The weight is hard. His body is bigger. He has an amazing punch.”

“I’ve got to think about it. I have to take some time and talk to my team to see if I should go back down to 135 lbs. or stay at 140 lbs. But most important is my health so I will take time and decide where to go next.”

Cano was happy and contended about his upset victory over Linares.

“I am happy, I am very content. All of my career I have wanted a victory of this magnitude against a fighter of this caliber like Jorge Linares. And what better way to win it than in this fashion. Today in the best moment of my life and career, it was an honor to fight a three-time champion in Jorge Linares.”

Lightweight titlist Jorge Linares will be facing Filipino Mercito Gesta to co-headline with Lucas Matthysse vs Tewa Kiram, Saturday, January 29 at the Forum, Inglewood.

For me, it is a must-see bout, as I expected a competitive match. Style-wise it appears to me that Linares (43-3, 27 KOs) is more of the technical fighter and Gesta (31-1-2, 17 KOs) seems to be the come forward guy on a southpaw stance.

Experience-wise, it favors Linares (46 total fights) also as he has more fights against his Gesta (34 total fights). Both men at their 30s with a slight difference in height and reach. Linares is also riding on momentum from his 12 winning streaks after back-to-back losses. Well, Gesta also is looking good after rebounding from a loss in 2012 but he hasn't fought in 2016 and just fought twice in 2017. It should be a motivation for Gesta to step up on this one. A chance also for Linares to start well this year.

Well, I've been busy with my day job nowadays. Maybe you could notice the erratic posts on this blog. I'm not able to watch boxing matches on a Saturday night (Sunday early morning in Kuwait) on a regular basis as the demand for work had increased drastically. But well not this 29 January as I mark this date for the Linares-Gesta fight.

Don't ask me who I'll be rooting for. You know that one already. I like Linares' fight but this time, I'll go for my kabayan. May the best man win on fight night.

LOS ANGELES (Sept. 23, 2017) Jorge "El Niño de Oro" Linares (43-3, 27 KOs) successfully defended his WBA, WBC Diamond and Ring Magazine Lightweight Titles with a split decision victory against the English southpaw "Cool Hand" Luke Campbell(17-2, 14 KOs) at Los Angeles' "Fabulous" Forum. Linares dropped Campbell in the second round with a hard right hand and engaged in explosive exchanges in each round to win with scores of 115-112 and 114-113, while one judge scored the fight 115-113 for Campbell.

"I fought very well," said Jorge Linares. "I'm happy with the fight. At the fifth round, we had some trouble but we came out on top. Trust me, I have a great connection with my team and with my trainer, so we worked hard and kept at it. I knew I had to let the dogs out. We want Mikey Garcia next."

"No one can ever doubt my hard work," said Luke Campbell. "Yes, I got off to a rocky start. He [Linares] caught me in the eye. A nice shot that put me on the mat. But I had to fight. I had to get focused. I didn't think he was landing any shots whatsoever in the second half."

Filipino KO artist Romero Duno wins unanimous decision against Juan Sanchez

Opening the international broadcast, Filipino knockout artist Romero Duno (15-1, 13 KOs) scored an eight-round unanimous decision victory against Tabasco, Mexico's Juan Sanchez (29-13, 14 KOs) in a lightweight fight. Duno punished Sanchez to the body and head in each and every round, which earned him the victory with three scores of 78-74.

"I'm satisfied with my performance," said Romero Duno. "Sanchez was a tough competitor, he fights clean and I respect him. I've learned a lot from this fight and am going to take the lessons I've learned onto the next."

Azat "Crazy A" Hovhannisyan (13-2, 10 KOs), the exciting Armenian super bantamweight contender with a spectacular style, earned the vacant WBC Continental Americas Super Bantamweight Title with a unanimous decision victory against Guadalajara, Mexico's Sergio Frias (19-8-2, 10 KOs). Although the resident of Los Angeles was cut above the left eye in the middle of the fight, Hovhannisyan won with two scores of 100-90 and one score of 98-92.

"We're very happy to get this big belt," said Azat Hovhannisyan. "This has been years in the making and I fought in the ring with basically one hand as I fractured my right hand. The swelling reappeared during the fight. Frias was a tough opponent, but we put in the work to get the win."

Abraham "Chamaco" Lopez (23-1-1, 16 KOs) of La Puente, California scored a fifth-round technical knockout victory against Isao Carranza (15-10-1, 9 KOs) of Mexico City, Mexico in a scheduled eight-round super featherweight fight.

"The fight went well," said Abraham Lopez. "I wish I would've finished him earlier, but he was a true warrior. It was a good fight. This fight was something I wanted to do, something I was waiting for. What's next? Whatever the company has in mind. I'll be working on everything; win or lose you always learn something. It doesn't stop. We're not perfect. I know I made mistakes, but we're going to keep working."

In the first fight of the evening, super bantamweight prospect Rafael "El Alikin" Gramajo (9-1-1, 2 KOs) of Los Angeles scored a tough six-round unanimous victory against Pedro Melo (17-16-2, 8 KOs) of Tijuana, Mexico.

"I feel good," said Rafael Gramajo. "I feel we started off well. I'm proud of myself. I had not fought in a year, and we fought the fight that we wanted to. In boxing, there is always a punch that could catch you and hurt you, but thank God it didn't hurt. I kept boxing and it was a good fight."

Is it revenge or repeat? Can Crolla get the win this time to even the score? Or can Linares prove again supremacy at the lightweight division?

Jorge Linares (41-3-0, 27KOs) will hit the road again to defend his lightweight title against Anthony Crolla (31-5-3, 13KOs) in a rematch on Saturday night at the challenger's home turf at the Manchester Arena (formerly M.E.N Arena), in Manchester, UK.

Well, it's somehow easy to write a preview about this fight because we do have a reference point. Re-watching the first fight that happened on 24th September last year is the best, to begin with. So I re-watch the first match on Youtube.

Linares vs Crolla I

Based on the previous outing it is safe to say that Linares has the edge over Crolla with regards to overall boxing skills and techniques. But of course, boxing can not be won in the ring over those advantages alone. A lot of things are there to consider. In the first bout, Linares was the one who makes use of the entire ring with his footwork.

In the first bout, Linares was the one who made use of the entire ring with his footwork. He was able to maintain the necessary distance he needed to threw in combinations making it difficult for Crolla to mount counters.

In the first six rounds, Linares was able to rack up points and even hurt Crolla at the end of Round 6. But Crolla, as the fight went on to the second half was able to make every round closer, landing significant punches that take a toll on Linares. Crolla's body works made a telling effect as Linares started to show fatigue. It was Linares' first time to go full 12 rounds. Well, Linares was able to pass the test and went home with a unanimous decision victory.

Power, Stamina, and Durability

Although it is obvious that Linares has the edge with regards to overall boxing skills, let us see other factors to consider. If we look at the ledger of each fighter, it looks like Linares has the upper hand with regard to power. He had 27 KO's in 41 fights, whereas Crolla had only 13 in 31 fights. That's a 66% KO rate for Linares to only 33% on Crolla per Boxrec. But it is exciting to see because, although Linares had more power on his hands, he tends to lose steam in the later rounds.

Crolla, on the other end, seemed to be more durable and has more gas in the tank. He took Linares' best shots. Well, except in Round 6 where he wobbled.

Adjustments and keys to victory

Since this is a rematch, It boils down to adjustments to make the difference in the second fight. It will depend on how each fighter learned the first bout and make the necessary adjustment tonight. If I will see Round 13 instead of Round 1 in the rematch, I think, we will see the same ending. But if we see a different fight tonight due to drastic adjustment on both fighters, well that remains to be seen.

In my opinion, if Linares will show up with the same movement and improved on his stamina he'll get the repeat of what happened in November. But without that extra mileage put on Linares' gas tank, a more aggressive Corolla (with more jab and head movement moving forward) might even the score and see you again in the ring for the third time.

Prediction

Well, my prediction is that I saw Linares this time being prepared to go full 12 rounds, so he has more oxygen in the tank and will execute the same game plan -- Linares UD 12.

[caption id="attachment_4897" align="alignnone" width="500"] Ethan Miller/Getty Images[/caption]

VENEZUELAN STAR TO FACE JAVIER PRIETO IN TOKYO

LOS ANGELES (Dec. 29) Still eight months shy of his 30th birthday, Jorge "El Nino de Oro" Linares (37-3, 24 KOs) has the opportunity to become the youngest Venezuelan to win world titles in three divisions when he faces Mexico's Javier "Implacable" Prieto(24-7-2, 18 KOs) for the vacant WBC Lightweight World Championship on Tuesday, December 30 at the Metropolitan Gym in Tokyo, Japan.

Linares, a former featherweight and super featherweight world champion, has been undefeated for more than two years, winning six consecutive bouts, four by knockout. The 27 year old Barinas native and Tokyo resident defeated Nihito Arakawa (25-5-1, 16 KOs) via decision in a 2014 March title eliminator, and is currently ranked number one by the WBC. He kept busy by knocking out Ira Terry (26-13, 16 KOs) in two rounds in August. Now he's ready to take on the 27-year-old Prieto, who is unbeaten in his last 10 bouts and is ranked number two by the WBC.

Javier "Implacable" Prieto from Apatzingan, Michoacán, Mexico is the current WBC Silver Lightweight Champion and is eager to conquer the WBC Lightweight World Championship against Linares.  He is coming off 12-round draws against Ivan "Macanón"Cano (22-6-2, 15 KOs) in May and September. This will his first world title bout.

Linares vs. Prieto is a 12-round bout for the vacant WBC Lightweight World Championship, taking place at the Metropolitan Gym in Tokyo, Japan and promoted byAkihiko Honda's Teiken Boxing Gym in association with Ohachi Promotions.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, follow on Twitter atwww.twitter.com/ GoldenBoyBoxing, visit on Facebook at Golden Boy Facebook Page and on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing.