Was Jorge Linares a World Champion?: A List of Belts He Held

In an exciting lightweight division, Jorge Linares is one of the forgotten names. Unlike the new superstar champions, Linares does not get the attention he deserves. However, he is a former three-weight world champion. And at 35, is not at the end of his career as yet.

Linares will return to the ring after a 15-month hiatus. He will face current WBC lightweight champion, Devin Haney, as the main event of an exciting card. So ahead of their highly anticipated bout, let’s look at the world titles he has won.

The 47-5 boxer began his career in 2002. However, his first world title came five years later, in 2007. The Venezuelan faced Oscar Larios for the vacant WBC featherweight belt. And after ten rounds of a close contest, Linares won via a tenth-round TKO to make him the WBC featherweight champion.

However, being a champion in one weight class was not enough for Linares. After one title defense, Linares moved up to super-featherweight and fought Whyber Garcia for the WBA super-featherweight title. This time around, Linares finished the fight in the fifth round to win his second belt.

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Jorge Linares: Success at lightweight

In six years, Linares had picked up two world titles in two separate weight classes. Therefore, he was the real deal. However, the Venezuelan wanted to cement his legacy even further. After two successful title defenses, Linares lost his super-featherweight belt. Subsequently, he moved up to lightweight.

Things did not come easy for Linares at 135 lbs. He got a shot at the title in 2011 against Antonio DeMarco. Despite his previous success, Linares came up short. However, he did not stop at the defeat. He worked his way up and, three years later, earned a title shot again.

Linares faced Francisco Javier Prieto for the WBC lightweight title. He made no mistake and knocked out his opponent in the fourth round to collect his third world title. Linares then unified the title in 2016 when he faced Anthony Crolla for the WBC, WBA, and Ring Magazine titles. Linares beat the Englishman by unanimous decision in the first and second bout.

Thus, ultimately, Linares collected five world titles across three weight classes. These included the WBC featherweight title, WBA super-featherweight title, the WBC, WBA, and Ring Magazine lightweight title.

 Do you think Jorge Linares is one of the best in the lower-weight divisions?

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