Jorge Linares retained the WBA Lightweight title with a hard fought split decision over Luke Campbell at The Forum in Inglewood, California.
In round two, Linares dropped Campbell with a quick straight right hand. Later in the round, Campbell was cut under his right eye. When it seemed Linares would cruise to another defense, Campbell valiantly fought back by landing some solid jabs and right hooks to the body.
The fight was on the table going into the championship rounds, but Linares got back to what was working for him early, and landed some straight right hands.
Linares, 134.2 lbs of Barines, VEN won by scores of 115-112 and 114-113 on two cards, while Campbell took a card 115-113.
Linares is now 43-3. Campbell, 134.8 lbs of Hull, ENG is 17-2.
“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.”
