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What’s Next for Jorge Linares?: Luke Campbell, Richard Commey, or Retirement?

Published 05/30/2021, 9:30 AM EDT

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Despite going the distance, Jorge Linares couldn’t claim the WBC lightweight championship against Devin Haney. The 35-year-old veteran suffered his sixth professional loss, but fans will say that he went down fighting.

While Linares is a top-tier former champion, his latest performance kept him relevant in the title mix. The Venezuelan pugilist cracked Devin Haney several times, even wobbling the champion with brutal shots in round 10. The decision could have gone either way, but ‘The Dream’ outworked Linares to claim the win.

“I Never Was Hurt” – Devin Haney Reacts to Being Hit in Round 10 by Jorge Linares

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Considering Linares’ show, retirement doesn’t seem to be an option, at least for now. Hence, ‘El Nino de Oro’ can look forward to having another run at the world title. Here’s a look at some of his next possible options.

Jorge Linares vs Luke Campbell

While both the lightweight elites had their recent losses in the WBC ride, they can lock horns. Luke Campbell lost to Ryan Garcia in January for the Interim 135 lbs belt; Linares lost to Haney for the WBC world title.

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So they might wait to see how the future matchups play out. But to remain active, an in-ring scrap between them would make sense. Both men are exceptional boxers. They can produce an intriguing fight at any given point. Meanwhile, Campbell’s former opponent Ryan Garcia can also slide into Linares’ future.

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 Ryan Garcia – The WBC Interim lightweight champion

Linares has wanted ‘King Ry’ for a long time and the fans wanted to see them meet in the ring. However, the global pandemic wreckage ruined those plans. Meanwhile, Ryan Garcia will return after he overcomes his personal battles.

His previous opponent, Javier Fortuna, has opted to go after Joseph Diaz. That has left Garcia without an official opponent. Hence, Linares vs Garcia would be an ideal bout as ‘King Ry’ could share the ring with a battle-tested veteran. Meanwhile, Linares can make his biggest payday off Garcia’s drawing power.

Jorge Linares vs Richard Commey

Following his third career loss against Teofimo Lopez via TKO, Richard Commey returned to the winning track against Jackson Marinez in February. Thus, the former world champions- Linares and Commey can fight it out in the squared circle.

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Though they are outside the current title picture, a win can help one of them re-enter the reckoning for a title shot.

Teofimo Lopez, Gervonta Davis, and Others React to Devin Haney’s Win Over Jorge Linares

For now, it’s time for Linares to wait and decide on the smartest move for his career. He is still relevant in the boxing roster. Even though retirement can be an option, the ex-titlist deserves another go at the title.

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What do you think would be best for Jorge Linares?

 

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Written by:

Raj Sarkar

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A senior boxing writer at EssentiallySports, Raj Sarkar is a mass media graduate who is currently pursuing his master’s degree in broadcast journalism. In addition to his current role, he has worked with the MMA team at EssentiallySports and has interviewed prominent fighters such as Ritu Phogat and 'The Red King' Rory MacDonald. He combined his bachelor's degree with his adoration for combat sports and has a combined 2000 plus bylines in MMA and boxing over the last two years.
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