The May 12th clash will see Ukrainian star Lomachenko move up to the 135-pound weight division as he looks to become a three-weight world champion in only his 12th outing as a professional.
However, he faces one of boxing’s very best in Venezuelan hotshot Linares who is riding a 13-bout unbeaten streak dating back to 2012 and will be looking to prove to 30-year-old Lomachenko that he has bitten off more than he can chew with his move up.
“This is the fight that boxing fans wanted. This will be a super fight between two of the best champions,” Linares said. “Not only will I demonstrate why I’m the best lightweight in the world, but also that I’m one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. I have the speed, skill and power to win this battle. This May 12, Vasiliy Lomachenko will bow down to ‘King’ Jorge.”
Taking place at the iconic Madison Square Garden, “Hi-Tech” Lomachenko can’t wait to grace the famous arena.
“We are very excited about the fight. It should be a great one. Fans from around the world have been waiting for Jorge and me to fight,” Lomachenko said. “We appreciate the work Top Rank did to put this fight together, and thanks to the television networks that helped make it happen. I am looking forward to May 12 in New York to make my debut in the big arena at Madison Square Garden.”
In addition to Lomachenko v Linares, BoxNation have added a further two fights to an already action packed schedule as part of the Top Rank deal with rising world champion Jessie Magdaleno defending his WBO super-bantamweight title against Isaac Dogboe.
Both men will go into the fight on April 28th unbeaten with only one of them set to emerge with their record intact.
Following that on June 9th live and exclusive from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas one of the very best fighters on the planet Terence Crawford will be aiming to win his first world title at welterweight as he takes on Manny Pacquiao conqueror Jeff Horn.
Horn’s WBO welterweight world championship belt will be on the line when he makes his US debut against the formidable Crawford, with the American adamant he will be victorious.
“I cannot wait to get back in the ring on June 9 and win the WBO welterweight championship,” Crawford said. “Jeff Horn and his team better be ready because they are going to see a bigger, stronger, and more powerful Terence Crawford. I am going home with that belt.”
Australian Horn may be going into the bout as an underdog in their summer sizzler but he is undefeated and used to upsetting the odds as his 2017 win over Pacquiao demonstrated.
Jim McMunn, BoxNation Managing Director, said: “BoxNation are delighted to renew our long-standing output deal with Top Rank. Top Rank continues to produce world class boxing cards as the additions to our thrilling upcoming schedule demonstrates.
Vasyl Lomachenko v Jorge Linares is one of the most eagerly anticipated fights this year and will be one that will have BoxNation subscribers glued to their screens on May 12th.
Pound-for-pound star Terence Crawford will be looking to show why he is so highly regarded when he challenges Manny Pacquiao’s conqueror Jeff Horn for the WBO welterweight world title on June 9th. And later this month on April 28th two undefeated super-bantamweights will battle it out as Jessie Magdaleno defends his WBO title against Ghana’s Isaac Dogboe.”
BoxNation is available on Sky/Freeview/Virgin/TalkTalk/EE/Apple TV/ online at watch.boxnation.com, via apps (iOS, Android, Amazon) and TV Player for just £12 a month. Buy now at boxnation.com.
