Devin Haney vs. Jorge Linares Betting
Boxing is in a strange place right now. Fights between internet stars have proven to be some of the most lucrative fights for the sport, and they are potentially opening up a whole new audience to the Sweet Science. Devin Haney is one of the boxers that might benefit from this new normal the most, as his first title defense came on the undercard of KSI vs. Logan Paul II. Haney headlined a PPV promotion for the first time last November when he took care of Yuriorkis Gamboa, and his handlers are hoping that his name recognition brings in buys when he faces Jorge Linares in a WBC lightweight title fight on Memorial Day Weekend.
When: Saturday, May 22, 2021
Where: Michelob Ultra Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Why: WBC Lightweight Title
On Saturday, May 29, 2021, the World Boxing Council lightweight belt will be on the line. Devin Haney (25-0, 15 knockouts) faces Jorge Linares (47-5, 29 knockouts) at the Michelob Ultra Arena at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip. This fight is scheduled for 12 rounds and will be available on DAZN in most countries.
Devin Haney vs. Jorge Linares Boxing Odds
Jorge Linares +707
Devin Haney -1350
WBC Lightweight Title
Jorge Linares is a big underdog in this fight, but the three-division world champion has proven he has what it takes to win titles. Linares won his first major belt almost 14 years ago here at Mandalay Bay, defeating Oscar Larios by 10th round TKO to claim the WBC featherweight belt. He successfully defended his newly won title against Gamaliel Diaz before making the move to super featherweight in November 2008.
Linares went down to Panama and beat native son Whyber Garcia for the WBA super featherweight belt by 5th round TKO. He proceeded to defend that title against Josafat Perez before losing by first-round TKO to Juan Carlos Salgado in October 2009. That led to a decision to move to lightweight, and he has been in that weight class since that loss.
His first title shot as a lightweight didn’t go well. Linares took on Antonio DeMarco on the undercard of a Bernard Hopkins fight almost a decade ago. He lost that bout by 11th round TKO and then lost his next match to Sergio Thompson by second round TKO. That meant he had to work his way back through the ranks, and he beat six straight fighters before earning a second title opportunity.
Linares’ fourth round knockout of Javier Prieto earned him his third major title. He defended that title against Kevin Mitchell and Ivan Cano before beating Anthony Crolla twice in unification fights. He then beat Luke Campbell and Mercito Gesta on the cards before losing his belts to Vasyl Lomachenko in May 2018. Since that defeat, he suffered a first-round TKO loss at the hands of Pablo Cesar Cano before beating two non-contenders over the last two years.
Devin Haney is just 22 years old, but he has already taken part in 25 fights. He went to Mexico for his first four fights before he turned 18, and he quickly proved he was one of the best young lightweights in the division. Haney’s impressive 4th round TKO of Maximino Toala for the WBC Youth lightweight title in March 2017 showed his promise, and his subsequent wins over Mason Menard and Juan Carlos Burgos eventually led to title chances.
Haney took on Zaur Abdullaev for the WBC interim lightweight title in September 2019. He became the youngest current champion at the time with his fourth round TKO of Abdullaev, and that impressive win led to the interim tag being taken off the title. We saw him retain that belt by unanimous decision against Alfredo Santiago two months later, and he scored a unanimous decision win over Yuriorkis Gamboa last November.
Devin Haney vs. Jorge Linares
Both of these boxers are orthodox righties, and Haney has a one-inch height advantage and a two-inch reach advantage. While Linares has the experience, Haney has the youth, and he will take it to Linares in securing an early round knockout.
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