Both Linares and DeMarco Getting Ready

Jorge Linares will return to the ring March 31 in Cancun, Mexico, for what is supposed to be a tune-up fight before his mandatory rematch with lightweight titleholder Antonio DeMarco later in the year. Venezuela’s Linares (31-2, 20 KOs), a former featherweight and junior lightweight titlist, will face Cancun’s Sergio Thompson (21-2, 19 KOs) in a scheduled 12-round bout. Linares is currently training at Freddie Roach’s Wild Card gym in Hollywood, Calif.,

A rematch was ordered, but DeMarco (26-2-1, 19 KOs) was given permission to take an optional defense first, the newly minted WBC lightweight champion Antonio DeMarco will make his first defense of the title he captured in one of the best comebacks in recent memory when down on all three judge’s cards, DeMarco stopped a badly bruised, beaten and bloodied Jorge Linares on the under card of Dawson-Hopkins at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. Late last week, the opponent was announced in Chihuahua’s Miguel “Mickey” Roman (37-9, 28KOs). The scheduled twelve round bout will be televised live in Mexico by Televisa on Saturday, March 17th, as part of their weekly boxing series, “Sabados de Corona” and presented by Baja Boxing in association with Gary Shaw Promotions.