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Tale Of The Tape: Jorge Linares Vs Vasyl Lomachenko

By Tyler “The Miracle Man” White

It’s almost time for two of the best current Pound-for-Pound fighters to meet in the middle of the squared circle and with that, I wanted to do a bit of a comparison based on my views of their attributes so that we can look at how close this contest really is on paper!

• Speed = Linares

This was an incredibly difficult one to decide upon, but from what I’ve seen I have to give the Venezuelan fighter the slight edge on speed. Although there’s not much in it, just a bit more snap behind the shots from Linares.

• Power = Linares

As the naturally bigger man, the power has to be on Linares’ side going into this fight. Although Lomachenko has the higher ‘KO’ ratio, he’s not actually physically knocked as many opponents out as Linares, but has instead made them quit through frustration. The question that interests me is will Lomachenko be able to handle it if Linares can catch him clean and often?

• Agility = Lomachenko

Lomachenko’s agility is like nothing we’ve ever seen before. He belongs in the matrix film series! While Linares is agile, the Ukranian is another level entirely in this department!

• Movement = Lomachenko
As well as being more agile, Lomachenko uses his head and foot movement to great effect, allowing him to create awkward angles. In contrast, Linares moves well with his feet and at the waist, but can be often caught out by going back in straight lines.

• Ring IQ = Lomachenko

As a fighter with such an outstanding amateur record and pedigree, Lomachenko wins this one! However, Linares will – in my opinion – be capable of making Lomachenko think a lot more than any of his former professional opponents.

• Experience = Linares (as a Pro)

As a professional fighter, Linares is the more experienced of the two and so this could prove valuable. Having been in the Pro game for a significantly longer period of time, Linares will’ve picked up a lot of rough-house tactics which could help him break down Lomachenko.

• Heart = Even

I can’t really split this one! Linares has displayed great heart in hard fights and has fought his way through a lot of gruelling 12 round contests. Whilst, Lomachenko has broken more heart than he’s had to show so far, however, he did fight to the end against Orlando Salido in only his 2nd Pro contest.

• Defense = Lomachenko

Lomachenko gets hit less and makes people miss more than Linares does, however, that’s not to say that Linares is not elite defensively.

• Strength = Linares

As the physically bigger man in weight, size and stature, the strength lays with Linares.

To summarise, each Champion respectively scored 5 out of 9 points each (4 each, with 1 attribute tied). This short comparison, just goes to show how 50/50 this fight is!

However close this fight is on paper, we can only hope that it proves to be just as close when the two dance underneath the lights in front of a packed out crowd at Madison Square Garden.

May the best man win!!

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