Sunday 25 September 2016 00:59, UK
Jorge Linares is all class but won't be able to resist rolling the dice against Anthony Crolla, says Paulie Malignaggi.
Linares is one of those fighters that always oozes quality and class. Sometimes, when it comes to multiple-weight world champions, they have so much skill that it eliminates the excitement out of the fights.
You think of Floyd Mayweather or Guillermo Rigondeaux and they're so skilled but sometimes you're looking for that pizzazz - you're looking for that hardcore blood and guts type of fight and you don't really get it.
You think of skill but you also think of the susceptibility in him.
The thing about Jorge Linares is that he's always in exciting fights because he's the guy who has all the skills of those guys but at the same time, he'll suddenly be on the canvas. He has to get up and we saw it in the Kevin Mitchell fight.
We also saw Linares randomly knocked out against Juan Carlos Salgado at 130lbs, yet he's always been able to come back and overcome the odds. He's so skilled and you watch him - he's got this smooth rhythm in the ring. He's a very smooth operator.
You think of skill but you also think of the susceptibility in him. You think of a chin that sometimes betrays him. He's also susceptible to some body shots as we've seen in some of his fights.
Really, he's a guy who gets in the ring and you don't know what to expect. He might wind up on the canvas or his opponent might wind up on the canvas, but he's always skilled.
Watch Crolla v Linares live on Sky Sports 2 this Saturday from 7.30pm
