Five months after one of the biggest victories of his professional career against Kevin Mitchell, WBC Lightweight titlist Jorge “El Nino de Oro” Linares will celebrate by fighting in his native Venezuela for the first time in more than five years as he defends his title for the second time against Mexico’s Ivan “Macanon” Cano on Saturday, October 10.
The 12-round title fight, which will take place at The Poliedro de Caracas, will air on ESPN Deportes on Sunday, October 11 starting at 9:00 p.m. ET on a two-hour tape delay. It will be Linares’ first bout in his home country since a 10-round decision victory over Francisco Lorenzo on March 27, 2010.
“I am ready to continue dominating the lightweight division and ready to bring a big night of boxing to Venezuela on October 10,” said Jorge Linares. “This is a great homecoming for me. After traveling for most of my career I am proud to bring the title to Venezuela and be able to defend it at home. On October 10, I will continue to show why I am a champion at 135 pounds.”
“This is my opportunity to show the world that I am a feared contender in the lightweight division,” said Ivan Cano. “I am coming off a victory in February, and I am ready to continue that momentum when I face Linares on Oct. 10.”
“In this homecoming fight on October 10, I know that Jorge Linares will once again be victorious in the ring. He is one of, if not the best, fighters to come out of Venezuela so the crowd will be electric, cheering him on to victory every step of the way. Linares’ is one of the boxing’s most exciting fighters to watch so I’m pleased fans around the world will have the opportunity to see him in action this Saturday,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions.
A native of Barinas, 30-year-old Jorge “El Nino de Oro” Linares (39-3, 26 KOs) may one day go down in the history books as Venezuela’s greatest boxer ever, but for the moment, he has plenty of gas left in the tank as he looks to defend his lightweight title. A world champion at 126 and 130 pounds, Linares added a third divisional championship belt in 2014 when he knocked out Javier Prieto and won the vacant WBC crown at 135 pounds. In May, he rose from the canvas to score a stirring 10th round TKO of England’s Mitchell, and now he expects to turn back the challenge of Cano on October 10.
Mexico City’s Ivan “Macanon” Cano (23-6-2, 15 KOs) is a tough contender who always shows up to fight, and he is planning on bringing the best version of himself possible to Venezuela as he tries to win his first world title. A former WBC Youth champion, Cano is unbeaten in four fights since 2013, a string that includes wins over Salvador Carreon and John Carlo Aparicio and a pair of draws with Javier Prieto. But his biggest bout yet will be on October 10, and Cano will resolve to bring the title back to Mexico.
