Former three division world champion Jorge Linares is not ready to hang up his gloves just yet.
This Saturday night in Las Vegas, Linares will challenge WBC lightweight champion Devin Haney. The fight will be streamed by DAZN.
Haney, who is coming off a decision win over veteran Yuriorkis Gamboa, is looking to add another notable name to his record.
Linares (47-5, 29 KOs) has been out of the ring since February of last year, when he knocked out Carlos Morales in four rounds.
The Venezuelan veteran has now won two fights in a row since a failed move to junior welterweight in 2019, when he was blown out in one round by Pablo Cesar Cano.
Last year, Linares was scheduled to face Javier Fortuna, but the fight fell apart when Linares was diagnosed with COVID-19.
“I was infected with the coronavirus. I continued in the gym. I've never stopped, I've always been busy. It is impressive how many sparring sessions I've already done without being able to fight. But I wouldn't call this [time away from the ring as] inactivity," Linares told George Ebro.
“I have had many experiences and now I feel that the teacher is going to teach the student. This is a great fight and I feel very positive about this tremendous opportunity. It will not be an easy opponent, because nobody is. Haney's style is clean, pretty. I don't know if he's going to be a warrior with me, on the inside, but I hope we have a very nice fight, but obviously, there will be only one winner and it will be me.
"When I came back against Carlos Morales, I showed that there is still a lot left on my end. I survived the pandemic and now I'm going back to Las Vegas to show that I can still be a lightweight world champion. It's a great challenge, but it's something I've already experienced. I feel ready to go back to the top again. I am satisfied with everything I have achieved in my career."