It’s a busy Saturday night in combat sports. Not only is there UFC 224 and Bellator 199, but Top Rank Boxing and Golden Boy Boxing have teamed up for a special co-promotion, as WBA lightweight champion Jorge Linares (44-3, 27 KOs) defends his title against consensus #1 pound-for-pound pugilist in the world, Vasyl Lomachenko (10-1, 8 KOs).
This is Lomachenko’s first fight at 135-pounds, having won belts at 126 and 130-pounds. If he wins, he’ll be the fastest (in terms of professional bouts) to win world titles in three different weight classes. Venezuela’s Linares is a high-quality boxer in his own right, despite the heavy underdog status, and this is truly a case of the best fighting the best.