Linares vs. Juarez: Redeeming bout
An interesting story is set to unfold when Jorge Linares and Rocky Juarez face off in the undercard fight at the Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Juan Diaz II bout on July 31. With both fighters having something to prove in the ring, the match up is starting to create a buzz in the boxing world.
Linares was previously known as a rising star on the Japanese boxing circuit, claiming the WBC featherweight title by defeating Oscar Larios. Linares breezed through the competition, trumping challengers left and right—all by knockout. However, the champion met his match when he went head on with Juan Carlos Salgado. The challenger knocked out Linares in the first round, much to the surprise of boxing pundits. Because of the unexpected knockout, it was widely publicized that the Salgado win was a fluke, as Takashi Uchiyama easily grabbed the title from Salgado.
After the defeat to Salgado, Linares has struggled to make regain his stature as a marquee fighter and has made efforts to make a comeback. The latest obstacle to be thrown his way is the Mexican-American
, Rocky Juarez.
For a fighter that has never held a title, Juarez was able to make a name for himself for being a worthy opponent, making things difficult for Humberto Soto and Marco Antonio Barrera. The 30-year old Rocky Juarez proved time and time again that he has the power to stand toe to toe with some of the biggest names in his weight class (even defeating former champ Guty Espadas).
Juarez himself is trying to make his way back up to the rankings. His loss to Jason Litzau was also considered by some analysts to be a fluke. The bout was halted due to a bad cut under Litzau’s eye that was caused by an accidental head butt from Juarez. When it went to the scorecards, Litzau was only ahead by a point, but it was enough to award him the victory.
The Linares-Juarez bout is an intriguing match up not only because of their tumultuous past, but also because of the contrasting fighting styles of the two. The hard-puncher Linares has gained success early in his career because of his power. But the power-punching technique of Linares has never been tested against a fighter who can actually take punches—like Juarez. Also, there seems to be inconsistencies in the game of the two fighters, judging from their losses. Linares shouldn’t have been knocked out by Salgado with a single left hook and Juarez shouldn’t have been trailing Litzau at the time of the stoppage.
Juarez, in his prime, was also known as a strong puncher, which raises the question: Can he still pull the trigger against an equally hungry and powerful Linares? There
s no doubt that between the two, Juarez is the guy who can take punches better.
For Linares, his gameplan would be simple. All he needs to bring to the ring is the same power punches that have knocked out a number of opponents. Because although Juarez can take the heat, he simply does not know how to be on the offensive—especially if the situation calls for it. To win, Juarez must start hitting early to wear down the much taller Linares.
Juarez has the longer reach that will allow him to throw wide, hard hooks to the body from the outside. Even if Linares covers up, it will do damage as the fight wears on. When that happens, however, Juarez will be tested if he does have that fire to finish off Linares. Because if not, Linares may use his hand speed and throw those powerful counter punches that has knocked down a number of big names.
Regardless of who wins in this bout, the winner will come out with a sense of pride and will inch closer to that elite status that both are trying to reclaim.
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