Why Boxing Fans Should Pay Attention to Jorge Linares' Resurgence

It wasn’t so long ago that WBC lightweight champion Jorge Linares was considered a future boxing superstar. Possessing excellent hand speed, good timing, incredible reflexes and the ability to fight from all distances with legitimate power in both hands, Linares was once considered the next big thing.

ESPN's Michael Rosenthal lauded Linares in 2007:

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Observers of the sport agree that he has the potential to become a star. At 5'8", he's tall for a featherweight (126 pounds). And he doesn't fight like a typically aggressive Latin American fighter. He's more measured, relying less on power and more on brains, yet still is as exciting as any young champion.

He's a complete package—well-schooled, quick-handed, powerful enough to hurt his opponents—and he can take a punch. At the moment, he has no obvious weakness.

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Rosenthal wasn't speaking out of turn. Just about anyone you asked back then thought of Linares as someone special. And when he captured the WBC featherweight title in 2007 at the tender age of 21, Linares appeared poised to live up to expectations.

But all that came crashing down two years later when Linares, then the WBA junior lightweight titleholder, was shockingly knocked out by Juan Carlos Salgado in one round.

Linares rebounded and won four straight before suffering another stunning knockout defeat in 2011 to Antonio DeMarco at lightweight. Seeking a quick win to set up a rematch, Linares was again stopped by the lightly regarded Sergio Thompson in 2012.

Some things just don't pan out.

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Most boxing fans probably gave up on Linares at that point in his career. While he’s always been a talented and exciting fighter, one who looks absolutely sensational when he’s at the top of his game, the three knockout losses in less than three years hurt his standing among most fight observers.

But talent always has a pathway back to the top of the sport. Fighters like Wladimir Klitschko and Amir Khan have proved it, climbing their way back from similar circumstances to the top levels of the sport.

Can Linares do the same? He'll take another step in that direction against Ivan Cano on Saturday in Venezuela. According to a spokesperson for Golden Boy Promotions, the fight is sold out to the tune of 18,000 people.

"I am ready to continue dominating the lightweight division and ready to bring a big night of boxing to Venezuela on October 10," said Jorge Linares via press release. "This is a great homecoming for me. After traveling for most of my career, I am proud to bring the title to Venezuela and be able to defend it at home. On October 10, I will continue to show why I am a champion at 135 pounds."

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Look, Linares is exciting because he sometimes focuses too much on his offense. He was floored by Kevin Mitchell in his last fight but fought on and won in Round 10.

Resiliency is something a fighter either has inside him or doesn’t, and Linares appears to have plenty. The Venezuelan-born lightweight fighting out of Japan is still just 30 years old. He’s already a three-division champion and could now become the premier fighter at 135 pounds.

There is a void of elite fighters at this weight.

Now that departing lineal champion Terence Crawford has vacated his throne to move up to junior welterweight, the lightweight division is anybody’s to claim. Fighters like Dejan Zlaticanin, Yuriorkis Gamboa and Sharif Bogere are all solid competitors, but none of them appear elite like Crawford.

If anything, Linares has the best skills of the bunch. With Crawford out of the picture, Linares has the best chance of any of them to become the best lightweight in the world.

There are never any promises with Linares. It seems like every time he’s looked unstoppable in his career, he’s suddenly been toppled down to the canvas. But Linares is definitely worth following. He’s talented, exciting and ever-so-close to finally fulfilling his full potential.

Jorge Linares faces Ivan Cano on Saturday, October 10. The 12-round WBC title fight will take place at The Poliedro de Caracas. The card will be streamed live (in Spanish) on ESPN3.com beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET and shown later at 9 p.m. ET Sunday, October 11 on ESPN Deportes.

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes and information was acquired firsthand.