January 7, 2006
TOKYO, JAPAN-Unbeaten WBA/WBC#3 feather Jorge Linares (19-0, 12 KOs), a 20-year-old Japan-based Venezuelan called gEl Nino de Oro (Golden Boy)h, 128, displayed a beautiful one-punch KO over Filipino champ Jeffrey Onate (31-22-7, 16 KOs), 128.25, at 1:59 of the opening round in a scheduled ten on Saturday night in Tokyo, Japan. Having moved up in the world ratings, the vastly talented Linares, managed by Akihiko Honda, showed his improvement in power-punching, as he shook up the Filipino veteran with stinging lefts and left-right combinations. As Onate attempted to throw a big right, Linares exploded a perfectly-timed countering right to the face of Onate, who fell down in delayed reaction moments after receiving the coup-de-grace. Onate tried to stand up, but his damage was such that he couldnft raise himself in time before the refereefs fatal ten.@His impressive KO triumph won the great praise of the crowd. Itfs remarkable that Linares has become able to speak Japanese so fluently that he can communicate with everybody, which increased his popularity here. Honda, who has cultivated Linares for three years since he was 17 years of age, says, gJorge will have a world title shot within this year and win the belt.h Time will tell.
Promoter: Akihiko Hondafs Teiken Promotions.
(1-7-05)