Promoter Eddie Hearn and his Matchroom Boxing are back in Manchester on Saturday with an 11-fight boxing card that will see WBA world lightweight champion Jorge Linares (41-3) return to England to defend his title against challenger Anthony Crolla (31-5-3) for a second time on Showtime. The two first met for Crolla’s belt back in September of 2016 as the main event of Hearn’s show in the same MEN Arena. Even though the judges returned a unanimous decision by scores of 115-114,117-111,115,113 in favor of Linares after 12 hard-fought rounds, a rematch was called for almost right away. Linares is a classy boxer who has held multiple world titles, and he is now 2-0 fighting world title fights in England, so his experience level is deep. Add to that the fact that Linares lives in Tokyo, and he held his training camp for the first meeting with Crolla in Las Vegas, you are talking about a fighter who appears to be in his prime. Now 31 years old, Linares won his first world title at featherweight back in 2007, and he is now fighting for his legacy. Crolla also has a lot of fights, and some of the competition he faced at the regional level are tough fighters. But Crolla fought quite possibly the best technical fight of his life the first time out against Linares, and he still fell short on all three judges score cards, home cooking and all. Crolla grabbed his world title from Darys Perez, and he fought Perez to a draw in his first outing before grabbing the belt with a fifth-round stoppage. Crolla is hoping that once again against a Latin American fighter, the second time is the charm for him. In the co-featured spot, Jack Arnfield (23-2) defends his WBA international title at 160 pounds against the challenge of Brian Rose (29-4-1). One factor could be experience, where Arnfield has fought strictly regional faire his entire career while Rose has fights with international-level fighters Mathew Macklin and Demetrius Andrade on his resume. Arnfield has just 6 knockouts among his 23 wins, but he is coming off a late 11th-round stoppage over rival Mick Hall this past January, so to his credit he is logging his second fight of 2017. Check back later in the week for lines on more of this card. The undercard counts on women’s sensation Katie Taylor (3-0) of Ireland, and there are several 10- and 12-round bouts featuring regional titles on the line. The main events will also air on SKY in the United Kingdom. Manchester Arena – Manchester, England – Showtime Lightweight – 12 rounds Anthony Crolla +190 o9½ -230 Jorge Linares -230 u9½ +190 Middleweight – 12 rounds Brian Rose +160 Jack Arnfield -185 Click below to bet the fights now! 
Crolla-Linares Rematch Set for Showtime in Manchester this Saturday (March 25, 2017)
