Former three division world champion Jorge Linares (44-4, 27 KOs) is hunting for more gold - this time at the junior welterweight limit of 140-pounds.
Linares make his debut at the new weight class on Saturday night, when he faces Abner "Pin" Cotto (23-3, 12 KOs) in the main event of the Sept. 29 edition of Golden Boy Fight Night on Facebook Watch.
The contest takes place at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California.
Linares has been out of the ring since May, when he was knocked out by Vasyl Lomachenko at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Linares put in a courageous effort and even scored a knockdown of Lomachenko.
A change in weight class was not a last minute decision for the Venezuelan boxer.
"I had been thinking about moving to 140 pounds for some time. When the opportunity to fight Lomachenko came, I took the fight at 135 pounds even though it was already difficult to do so. If I were to get the opportunity to fight him again, I would drop to 135 pounds, but for now I'll look for more opportunities at 140 pounds," Linares said.
And Linares wants title fights with WBC, IBF lightweight champion Mikey Garcia - but at 140, and a showdown with WBC 140-pound champion Jose Ramirez.
But he's not overlooking the task at hand, when he faces Cotto - who is the cousin of former four division world champion and future Hall of Famer Miguel Cotto.
"A fight with Mikey Garcia or Jose Ramirez would be excellent, but I need to get stay focused on the opponent in front of me. I know Abner Cotto is tough. He knows how to fight on the inside and the outside. I know he will work hard to give a great fight this Saturday," Linares said.
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