Jorge Linares outpoints Anthony Crolla to cement status as world's No. 1 lightweight

It appeared Jorge Linares was headed down a familiar road.

During the middle rounds of a fight he was clearly winning with sharper punching and eye-popping combinations, his opponent came on.

But unlike in his stoppage defeat to Antonio DeMarco, Linares rallied, imposed his will on Anthony Crolla late and won the fight.

The Venezuelan claimed the WBA lightweight title from Crolla and cemented himself as the best 135-pounder in the world with a unanimous decision Saturday before a raucous crowd in his opponent's hometown of Manchester, England.

Scores were 115-114, 117-111 and 115-113 in the fight televised by AWE in the United States. Paste BN Sports scored it 116-112 for Linares.

"Antony Crolla once told me he was a fan of mine. I'm a fan of his," Linares, 31, said through Golden Boy Promotions executive Robert Diaz. "We gave Manchester a beautiful fight."

Linares (41-3, 27 KOs) focused on body work early and as always, his punches were faster than his foe's.

He continued to focus on Crolla's midsection with a sharp attack, but in Round 4, referee Terry O'Connor issued a second warning to Linares after a punch landed on the beltline.

Crolla seemed hurt from the shot, but Linares was discouraged from attacking the body after that.

Linares, who is known for cutting early and often in fights, suffered a gash over the left eye in Round 5, the result of a looping right hand.

The Brit built on his strong showing the following frame, and appeared to hurt Linares to the body. The non-stop pressure seemed to be too much. But then Linares turned the tables with a series of rights over the top.

The combination forced Crolla (31-5-3, 13 KOs) back to the ropes, who was lucky there wasn't much time remaining in the best round of the fight - he seemed ready to go at any moment.

"I hurt my hand in the sixth round," said Linares, who believed the knuckle injury was a recurrence. He was slated to fight Dejan Zlaticanin earlier this year but couldn't compete due to a fractured right hand. "I backed off a little bit and worked on strategy. I told my corner I would win the last three rounds and I did.

"I feel I hurt him a couple of times, but I didn't want to go forward too much and get too aggressive."

Crolla beat Linares to the punch over Rounds 7, 8 and 9, and the 29-year-old ratcheted up the pressure. But Crolla tired over the final quarter of the fight and was the worst for wear after their many exchanges.

It was a fun fight, and it's a good bet they do it again. Crolla's promoter, Eddie Hearn, said there is a rematch clause in the contract.

But until then, there's clearly one man to beat in the lightweight division, and that's Jorge Linares.

(Photo of Linares landing a punch on Crolla by Ben Hoskins/Getty Images)