Jorge Linares Should Retire After Third Consecutive Loss
The hardest thing for fighters is knowing when it is time to let it go and walk away from the sport of boxing. That is the unfortunate reality for multi-divisional champion “El Nino De Oro” Jorge Linares (47-8, 29KO). He has reached that point where retirement and father time are on his doorstep.
RELATED: Should Jorge Linares Consider Retirement After Loss To Zaur Abdullaev?
The topic of Linares retiring is not new for 3Kings Boxing. That question is echoing even louder following El Nino De Oro’s defeat by unknown Zhora Hamazaryan (12-3-2, 9KO) on December 11. He has lost three fights in a row and has completely slipped out of the rankings with all four major sanctioning bodies.
After losing a title shot against then-WBC champion Devin Haney in 2021, Linares was stopped in a WBC title eliminator by Russian contender Zaur Abdullaev in February. Equally important, the aforementioned fighter had defeated Hamazaryan prior to Linares fighting him.
LINARES MUST FACE REALITY AND HANG UP THE GLOVES
In his last six fights, the multi-divisional champion is a sad 2-4. Furthermore, he continues to look good in the first half, only to fade in the second before the chin betrays him in an all too familiar pattern.
Nobody would call for his retirement with losses to former champions like Vasyl Lomchamenko, Antonio Demarco, and undisputed lightweight champion Haney. However, he has demoralizing losses to guys like Juan Salgado Zambrano, Pablo Cesar Cano, and Abdullaev. This recent defeat to Hamazaryan has to be the last straw of an outstanding career that has spanned over 20 years.
At 37 years old, the Venezuelan should not be relegated to being a name on other low-level fighter’s resumes. With no chance of a title shot in sight, Linares needs to have his ‘come to Jesus’ moment with himself and accept the reality – it is time to walk away.
By: Bo Bland
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