JORGE LINARES vs JUAN CARLOS SALGADO

Jorge Linares, the undefeated Venezuelan who launched his professional career in Japan, returns there on Saturday for what looks like a routine defence of his WBC 130-pound title against Mexico’s Juan Carlos Salgado.

This will be Linares’s first fight since signing with Golden Boy Promotions, which will co-promote him with Japan’s Akihiko Honda. He hasn’t fought in Japan in more than two years, and no doubt Linares will be motivated to put on a powerful performance in what his Japanese fans will see as a homecoming fight.

As Linares goes by the “Golden Boy” nickname, and won his title on a Golden Boy Promotions show in Las Vegas, it had been widely assumed that Oscar De La Hoya had a promotional influence in him — and now he does.

Linares has stopped his last six opponents and I doubt if Salgado will be able to keep him at bay for very long.

Salgado, 24, returned to the ring this year after 18 months’ inactivity. He seemed to be a capable boxer when I saw him outpoint the somewhat dangerous Ivan Valle on Telefutura a couple, of years ago. Salgado’s nose was streaming blood from the third round but he fought well under difficult circumstances. He is unbeaten in 21 fights but on Saturday he is going in with a talented, hard punching young champion who seems to be destined for big things. De La Hoya wants to feature Linares in big fights in the U.S. and it seems unthinkable that there will be any sort of a slip-up on Saturday.

I think that Salgado probably has the grit and ability to last into the seventh or eighth round before the crisp combinations and hurtful left hooks and uppercuts of Linares bring the referee’s intervention.