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Haney Defends WBC Title Against
Linares In Las Vegas On May 29
Devin ‘The Dream’ Haney will defend his WBC World
Lightweight title against Jorge Linares at the Michelob
ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas
Saturday, May 29. The event will air live worldwide on DAZN
in association with Devin Haney Promotions and Golden Boy
Promotions.
The spotlight will be on Haney (25-0, 18 KOs) over Memorial
Day Weekend as he puts his belt on the line for the third
time, this time taking on Linares who will provide the
sternest test of the champion’s rich talents. The
22-year-old star will box in his Las Vegas backyard for just
the third time in his career and first time since his sixth
pro outing in May 2016.
‘The Dream’ was elevated to World champion after a
destructive KO win over Zaur Abdullaev in New York in
September 2019. He went on to defend his belt twice with
comfortable distance wins over Alfredo Santiago in November
2019 and Yuriorkis Gamboa the following November.
“I’m very excited to be making my third World title defense
against a great fighter like Jorge Linares, who will be the
best fighter I will have ever faced in my career,” said
Haney. “He’s a three-division World champion who has fought
at the championship level for the past thirteen years.
“I grew up watching Linares and the fact that this fight is
happening in Las Vegas is incredible. Boxing fans around the
world are eager to see me step up in competition which is
great, and I know Linares is coming to fight. I’m ready to
give the fans a spectacular performance. The better the
competition brings the best out of me. Against Linares, I’m
going to show the world why I’m the king of the Lightweight
division.”
Linares (47-5, 29 KOs) is looking to become a two-time
holder of the WBC strap that he won in December 2014 against
Francisco Javier Prieto, the catalyst to a run that saw the
Venezuelan ace beat Kevin Mitchell, Ivan Cano, Anthony
Crolla twice, Luke Campbell and Mercito Gesta over a
four-year run as Lightweight king before his to-and-fro
clash with Vasiliy Lomachenko in New York in May 2018.
The 35-year-old takes on Haney in his 15th World title
battle and in his 53rd contest in over 18 years as a pro,
and Linares believes that there are plenty more chapters to
be written in his storied career.
“This is my moment to show the world that I still have a lot
more to give at 135 pounds,” said Linares. “Devin Haney is a
talented and quick-handed young man, but when I was his age,
I had already become a world champion by snatching the title
away from a real World champion like Oscar Larios. And now
you can imagine how much more experience I have now at an
age where I feel stronger and better than ever.”
“Without a doubt it will be a tremendous fight, but I will
demonstrate that Haney made a big mistake by accepting a
challenge that he is still not ready to overcome.”
“This is the breakout fight that shows the world that Devin
Haney is the best lightweight on the planet,” said promoter
Eddie Hearn. “Jorge Linares is a tremendous fighter, a
three-weight king that has speed, power and plenty of
experience.
“I’ve represented four fighters who have attempted to beat
Jorge and failed, but this time I believe we have the future
king of the division in Devin, and this is his moment. May
29, the bright lights of Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, this is
the moment.”
“We have worked with Jorge Linares for a long time and
anytime the so-called experts count him out, he comes back
with a vengeance,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman and CEO
of Golden Boy. “Haney has never confronted anyone even close
to Jorge’s skill level, and at 135lbs he is still a force to
be reckoned with for anyone in the division.”
George Kliavkoff, President of Entertainment & Sports for
MGM Resorts International, said, "Mandalay Bay has been
synonymous with boxing for more than two decades and we look
forward to continuing the tradition with our partners at
Matchroom. The opportunity to host a fight of this caliber,
and doing so safely, is another step in the return of
championship events to the Sports Capital of the World."
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