As expected, the result was close before Lomachenko found the equalizer to take a tired Linares out in the tenth.
WBN had the fight an 85-85 draw at the time the end came, whilst one of the New York State Athletic Commission cards by Julie Lederman agreed.
Robin Taylor had Linares ahead 86-84 at the time of the stoppage, which was called just over two minutes into the round, whilst Steve Weisfeld had it the same score in favor of Lomachenko.
Add the that the CompuBox stats showing how good Linares performed against the world’s most elusive fighter, and it’s surprising how little a rematch is being discussed.
Plenty of interest would surely come from Lomachenko making a first defense of his new 135 pound title against Linares, especially when number one target Manny Pacquiao is out of the picture.
Pacquiao faces Lucas Matthysse at welterweight in July, whilst Ray Beltran has emerged as the favorite to be in the opposite corner to Loma upon his return in August.
Weighing up both options, and Linares in potentially the more appealing as Beltran would begin as a massive underdog to halt the continued rise of the formidable Ukrainian.
Here’s a look at the CompuBox stats that show just how good Linares performed on the night:
7.2- avg. jabs landed per round by Vasiliy Lomachenko vs. Jorge Linares (lightweight avg.: 4.6)
18.3%- pct. of body landed/total landed by Vasiliy Lomachenko vs. Jorge Linares, slightly below the CompuBox avg. of 22.3%, but ironically the punch that KO’d Linares
20- number of jabs landed by Vasiliy Lomachenko in round 8, the most he’s landed in his 12 pro fights
29- number of punches landed by Jorge Linares in round 9, the most by a Loma opponent in his 12 pro fights
55- number of jabs thrown by Vasiliy Lomachenko in round 8, more than double the lightweight avg.
102- number of punches thrown Jorge Linares in round 9, the most by a Loma opponent in his 12 pro fights
207- number of punches landed by Jorge Linares, the most by a Loma opponent in his 12 pro fights
