Devin Haney vs. Jorge Linares: Linares' last chance

On May 30, early in the morning, Moscow time, in Las Vegas, Devin Haney (USA) and Jorge Linares (Venezuela) will fight for the WBC light-welterweight title.

Haney holds the WBC title, but there is some controversy about his status. The fact is that this organization also has a so-called «franchise» holder of the belt -. Many consider him the real champion. But Haney doesn't sweat it and defends his belt in fights, without the strongest opposition (Jurorkis Gamboa, Zaur Abdullayev, Xolisani Ndongeni, Antonio Moran, Juan Carlos Burgos).

Haney is still very young (22 years old), but he's already a lightweight champion. Devin is a protégé of Floyd Mayweather, who helps him both with promotion and coaching. That's why in some ways Haney's boxing style resembles Floyd's own.

He made his pro debut in 2015. Since then he has fought 25 times and won every fight (15 knockouts). Haney is a very fast, technical and cautious fellow. He has a good punch, but he is cautious and never gets in front of the train with his punches. He fights smart, calculating and not letting his emotions get the better of him.

Haney has a rich amateur career with 138 fights, 8 losses. He's left-handed, can work from distance, often combines, but doesn't put in the punches. He also has excellent anthropometry.

Linares' best years are behind him, and he was once a three-division champion. But in 2018 he lost to Vasiliy Lomachenko and many noted that it was the beginning of the end. Still, he managed to send Vasily to a knockdown.

Linares' main weapon is speed. Even at his venerable age he can compete in this aspect with younger champions. He has good striking power, but there are some questions about the strength of his chin.

«I was sick with coronavirus. But I kept working out at the gym. I never stopped, I was always busy. It's impressive how many sparring sessions I've done without being able to fight. But I wouldn't call that time away from the ring inactivity. I've had a lot of experience, and now I see that the teacher will beat the student. It's a great fight, and I feel very positive about this amazing opportunity.»-Jorge Linares.

Both fighters practice an economical, neat style, and don't chase knockouts, so the fight will be cautious and long. Haney will be throwing jabs, while Linares will be waiting for his chance and putting in the occasional jab. His right straight is still his main weapon that has taken down more than one tough opponent.

Plus the motivation, this might be his last chance to fight for the belt. Linares is already pretty beat up in big fights, but he can still teach his younger opponents a lesson on how to fight in the ring. He may not be at his best, but he's still in pretty good shape. In his last fight, for example, he looked very good and reminded himself of the middle of the last decade.

Therefore, the odds on him from Bet365 are 9.0 which is completely insane and very tempting. On Haney, the bookmaker offers only 1.07.