Iván Cano’s WBC Title Gamble: Jorge Linares Wins in Four
On October 10, 2015, Jorge Linares stopped Iván Cano in the fourth round in Caracas, Venezuela, retaining the WBC lightweight championship. The Mexican contender had reached the fight after a series of hard-earned regional opportunities.
A long road to a world-title opportunity
Cano’s challenge of Jorge Linares in 2015 followed a hard stretch against established opposition. In October 2012, he met unbeaten Canadian Dierry Jean for the NABF and NABA super-lightweight titles. Jean’s pace and combinations controlled much of the fight, and he stopped Cano in the eleventh round. The result was a setback, but Cano returned to Mexico and continued working his way into meaningful lightweight contests.
Two draws with Javier Prieto
In 2014, Cano and fellow Mexican Javier Prieto met twice for Prieto’s WBC Silver lightweight title. Their first 12-round bout in May ended in a split draw, with the judges divided on the result. They fought again in September, and that contest also went the distance and ended in a majority draw. Prieto retained the belt both times. The pair of close title fights put Cano into a more prominent position in the division, even though neither man could settle the rivalry.
A world-title fight with Jorge Linares
On October 10, 2015, Cano challenged Linares for the WBC lightweight championship at the Poliedro in Caracas. Linares was fighting in Venezuela for the first time since 2010, and this was his first world-title bout at home. At the time, BoxingScene listed Cano at 23-7-2 with 15 knockouts and identified this as his first world-title opportunity.
Linares started quickly, but Cano found openings for right hands in the second round. The champion’s pressure and power shifted the fight in the third, when he knocked Cano down in the closing minute. Cano beat the count and made it back to his corner. In round four, a left to the body put him down again; he remained on one knee as referee Len Kolvisto counted him out at 58 seconds. Linares retained the title with a fourth-round knockout, his second successful defense.
That night did not erase the persistence Cano had shown in two drawn title fights with Prieto. It marked the first time he reached a major world championship contest, against a three-division titleholder in Linares, and became the defining bout of his career in the international record.
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Iván Cano, Boxing, Boxing History, Championship Results
