Jorge Linares has a record of 41-3 (27 KOs) and will be fighting in his eleventh world title fight this weekend. He is a three division champion and undefeated since 2012. A world class operator, Linares never really looked like he was losing against Crolla. Altough the fight was very close, Linares prevailed over the distance as the 115-114, 117-111 and 115-113 scores gave him the unanimous points win. The Venezuelan went 12 rounds for the first time in his career last time he faced Crolla.
The Venezuelan often dictates the pace and in the first fight changed the tempo at will, always composed and slick in the counters. While his jab is more of a range-finder rather than a weapon in and of itself, it nevertheless enables him the space he needs to rip off dangerous combinations to the head and body. Combine this with his superior movement and Crolla is simply outmatched on a technical level.
The consensus pound-for-pound best boxer in the world is back in action as Vasyl “Loma” Lomachenko defends his WBA (Super), WBO and The Ring lightweight titles against Anthony “Million Dolla” Crolla. The reigning champion, Lomachenko, is a massive -10000 favorite with the challenger coming back at +1600. Crolla Betting Trends & Stats - Four of Lomachenko's nine career knockouts.
Jorge Linares last 5 fightsAnthony Crolla (31-5-3, 13KOs) was heading into the ring as the odds-on favourite to beat Venezuelan star Jorges Linares in Manchester but he lost by unanimous decision. He seduced the hearts of a nation with a Cinderella Story fit for Hollywood over the course of the last seven years. Back in December 2014, 'Million Dolla' Crolla tackled burglars at a neighbour's house, was hit by a brick and suffered a fractured skull and a serious injury to his ankle. He claimed the WBA lightweight title from Darleys Perez in 2015, and notched a thrilling first defence when he halted favoured slugger, Ismael Barroso with a sublime body shot.
Obviously Crolla will need to come up with a different gameplan this time as ultimately the first one did not work. Having studied hours upon hours of tape on the Venezuelan, they claim to have highlighted weaknesses in Linares’ defence which Crolla will need to exploit. His trainer Joe Gallagher has been quoted saying that this is the best he has ever seen his fighter leading up to a bout.
Anthony Crolla last five fights
PICK | BEST ODDS | BOOKMAKER | |
---|---|---|---|
JORGE LINARES | 1.53 with | Bet £10, win £15.30 | |
THE DRAW | 23.00 with | Bet £10, win £230.00 | |
ANTHONY CROLLA | 26.00 with | Bet £10, win £260.00 |
OUR PICKS | BEST ODDS | BOOKMAKER |
---|---|---|
Winner: Crolla to win | 26.00 | |
Total Rounds: Over 10.5 | 1.53 | |
Method of Victory: Crolla by Decision or TD | 5.00 | |
To be knocked down: Jorge Linares | 3.75 |