Jorge Linares stops Carlos Morales in four!
Former world Featherweight, Super-Featherweight and Lightweight champion Jorge Linares (47-5, 29 KOs) showed he still has something left in the tank as he dissected then scored a beautiful fourth-round stoppage over Carlos Morales (19-5-4, 8 KOs) at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.
The 34-year-old started the fight pressing the action with fast jabs and one-two’s during the first two rounds. There was a troublesome moment for the Venezuelan as he suffered a cut over the corner of his left eye as a result of a head-butt in round one.
Morales was willing, but in round three the man known as Linares began to find a home with the jab which is the key to the arsenal.
With twenty-five seconds to go in the round Linares landed a beautiful left jab to the body/right hand to the chin combo that put Morales down face first on the deck.
Luckily for the 30-year-old who resides in Highland Park, California, he was knocked down late in the round and was saved by the bell
Continuing on the attack in round four, the speedy former champion stepped up the pace. With sixty-one seconds to go in the round, he put Morales down for a second time by way of a similar left jab to the body/right hand to the chin combination.
This time, the underdog was seriously hurt and referee Thomas Taylor stepped in to call a halt to the contest with fifty-one seconds left on the round.
The win sets up a potential showdown with Golden Boy Promotions between Linares and hot prospect Ryan Garcia in July at Staples Center in Los Angeles according to Oscar De La Hoya.
After the win over Morales, Linares said he’s looking forward to the fight against Garcia and that he’s ready to fight any Lightweight in the world.
By: Michael Wilson Jr.
