Jorge Linares successfully defended his WBA, WBC Diamond and Ring Magazine Lightweight Titles with a split decision victory against the English southpaw “Cool Hand” Luke Campbell (17-2, 14 KOs) at Los Angeles’ “Fabulous” Forum.
Linares dropped Campbell in the second round with a hard right hand and engaged in explosive exchanges in each round to win with scores of 115-112 and 114-113, while one judge scored the fight 115-113 for Campbell.
“I fought very well,” said Jorge Linares. “I’m happy with the fight. At the fifth round, we had some trouble but we came out on top. Trust me, I have a great connection with my team and with my trainer, so we worked hard and kept at it. I knew I had to let the dogs out. We want Mikey Garcia next.”
“No one can ever doubt my hard work,” said Luke Campbell. “Yes, I got off to a rocky start. He [Linares] caught me in the eye. A nice shot that put me on the mat. But I had to fight. I had to get focused. I didn’t think he was landing any shots whatsoever in the second half.”
Opening the international broadcast, Filipino knockout artist Romero Duno (15-1, 13 KOs) scored an eight-round unanimous decision victory against Tabasco, Mexico’s Juan Sanchez (29-13, 14 KOs) in a lightweight fight. Duno punished Sanchez to the body and head in each and every round, which earned him the victory with three scores of 78-74.
“I’m satisfied with my performance,” said Romero Duno. “Sanchez was a tough competitor, he fights clean and I respect him. I’ve learned a lot from this fight and am going to take the lessons I’ve learned onto the next.”
