Anthony Crolla v Jorge Linares: Your betting preview for the fight
Published:
For the third weekend in a row we’ll be treated to a night of top class fighting. And this time it’s the turn of the Manchester Arena to play host to two of the biggest names in lightweight boxing, as WBA world-lightweight title-holder Anthony Crolla welcomes Jorge Linares to the UK.
The 29-year-old Crolla will be making his second title defence since defeating Darleys Perez for the belt back in November 2015.
And once again, it’s a Venezuelan who’s the contender, after the Mancunian saw off Linares’ compatriot Ismael Barroso back in May with a seventh-round stoppage.
Crolla believes Saturday’s fight will see his name added to the list of greats, and at 8/15, he’s favourite to win this one.
However, of his previous 38 bouts, he’s lost on four occasions. Granted, he’s currently on a 10-match unbeaten run, but he has drawn three of those fights, and in Linares he’s probably up against his toughest opponent to date.
Linares will be fighting in the UK for just the second time in his career, and the 31-year-old heads into this one as the 13/8 underdog, even though he has five bouts and 14 KOs on his opponent.
At 5ft 8in, the challenger is slightly shorter than his opponent, but with a reach of 69” compared to Crolla’s 67”, it’s the Venezuelan that boasts the upper hand in that department.
A quick glance at both Crolla and Linares’ rounds-per-bout figures will tell you that on average their fights last roughly six rounds, meaning there could be some value in the 5/1 for the fight to be over between rounds 4-6.
And those of you that fancy El Nino to add to his 27 KOs can get odds of 3/1, while it’s 9/4 for Million Dollar to force the referee to stop the bout.
Manchester Arena is a venue which Crolla is all too familiar with, as five of his last six bouts have been in his hometown, which is partly the reason the title-holder goes into this one as favourite.
But can he make the most of the home advantage?
Head to Ladbrokes.com this Saturday to enjoy Enhanced Specials on Crolla v Linares.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
