NEW YORK CITY (DEC. 21, 2018): Former lightweight king Jorge “El Niño de Oro” Linares (45-4, 28 KOs) will continue his comeback trail when he challenges Pablo Cesar “El Demoledor” Cano (31-7-1, 21 KOs) for his WBC International Silver Super Lightweight Title in a 12-round battle on the undercard of the fight between Demetrius “Boo Boo” Andrade (26-0, 16 KOs) and Artur Akavov (19-2, 8 KOs). The event will take place on Friday, Jan. 18, 2019 at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden and will be streamed live on DAZN – which is just $9.99 per month after a one-month free trial.
“Jorge Linares has been an important staple of Golden Boy Promotions for many years and has established himself as a fighter who can come back from any setback,” said Oscar De La Hoya, CEO and Chairman of Golden Boy Promotions. “He’s beaten some of the best fighters in three different weight classes, and I’m looking forward to his rise in this new weight division. Pablo Cesar Cano has also played in important role at Golden Boy, giving tough fights to almost everybody at 140 and 147 pounds. This will be a great fight between two experienced warriors, and I’m delighted that it will be streamed on DAZN.”
Linares, a 33-year-old Venezuelan considered one of the top fighters in the world, will return after making his debut at 140 pounds by stopping Abner “Pin” Cotto via third-round technical knockout. After earning world titles in the featherweight, super featherweight and lightweight divisions, Linares hopes to earn yet another world title in this new weight division, but only if he can get past a tough challenge against Cano.
“My next goal is to become the first four-division world champion from Venezuela,” said Jorge Linares. “I accomplished what I needed to accomplish at 135 pounds, and in my last fight with Abner Cotto, I showed that I can take my speed and power to this new division. We’ve been going back to the basics with my old trainer Jorge Zerpa, and I know I can earn another world title in this new weight class. But first I have a tough fight against Pablo Cesar Cano, a young veteran with a lot of experience who is naturally a super lightweight. I’m expecting a tough fight against Cano, but I’m motivated to give fans a great fight in New York City and on this new platform, DAZN.”
Cano is a 29-year-old puncher who has faced many names in the 140 and 147-pound division. The native of Tlalnepantla, Mexico has taken on the likes of Sugar Shane Mosley, Paulie “Magic Man” Malignaggi, Ashley “Treasure” Theophane, and Mauricio “El Maestro” Herrera in his career. Cano’s best victory was against Johan “El Terrible Perez, where he earned the interim WBA Super Lightweight Title. Cano will return after upsetting Ruslan Madiev for the regional title he currently holds.
“I want to thank Golden Boy Promotions for giving me the enormous opportunity of fighting a great world champion on Jorge Linares,” said Pablo Cesar Cano. “To repeat, this is a great opportunity that I will not fail to take advantage of. The fans know the kind of fighter I am and that the only way you’ll get me to quit is by taking me out on a stretcher. But I warn everyone: that will not happen.”
Rising Golden Boy prospect Alexis “Lex” Rocha (12-0, 8 KOs) of Santa Ana, Calif. will return in his first 10-round battle. Rocha is a hard-hitting southpaw who was last seen defeating Carlos Ortiz via eight-round unanimous decision on the Canelo vs. GGG 2 undercard in September.
Andrade vs. Avakov is a 12-round fight for the WBO Middleweight World Championship
presented by Matchroom Boxing in association with DiBella Entertainment. The event will take place on Friday, Jan. 18, 2019 at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden and will be streamed live on DAZN – which is just $9.99 per month after a one-month free trial.
Tickets for the event are on sale now at www.MSG.com. Tickets start at $46!
About DAZN:
Globally, DAZN is a live and on-demand sports streaming service created by fans, for fans, that is leading the charge to provide access to sports anytime, anywhere. DAZN guarantees no long-term contract, no bundles, just one affordable price for access to all the service’s sports on connected devices including smart TVs, smartphones, tablets, games consoles and PCs. DAZN is currently available in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Japan, Canada, Italy and now the U.S. at just $9.99 per month after a one-month free trial – where it is becoming a must-have service for sports fans, with a daily show featuring live look-ins to Major League Baseball games beginning in 2019 and more than 100 fight nights already lined up from Matchroom Boxing, Bellator MMA, the World Boxing Super Series, Combate Americas and the recently announced Golden Boy Promotions.
For more information, visit http://www.matchroomboxing.com, www.goldenboypromotions.com and DAZN.com. Follow on Twitter @MatchRoomBoxing, @GoldenBoyBoxing, and @DAZN_USA. Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MatchroomBoxing
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Follow on Instagram @MatchroomBoxing, @GoldenBoyBoxing and @DAZN_USA. Follow the conversation using #AndradeAvakov
