Professional Career
Linares made his professional debut as a boxer managed by the Teiken Boxing Gym in December 2002. He was trained by Sendai Tanaka there, and Antonio Esparragoza who was trained by Tanaka's master Amílcar Bursa gave Linares the nickname of El Niño de Oro.
On July 21, 2007, Linares won the vacant WBC Interim World Featherweight Championship after knocking out Óscar Larios, who would later inherit his title, in the 10th round. He won his first defense of his title by an 8th round KO against Gamaliel Diaz on December 12, 2007. Linares reliquished the title on August 13, 2008 in order to move up to super featherweight.
Linares won the WBA super featherweight championship with a 5th round stoppage against Whyber Garcia on November 28, 2008. He defended it on June 27, 2009 against Josafat Perez by TKO in the 8th. Linares contracted with the Golden Boy Promotions in September 2009. Currently he is co-promoted by both Teiken Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions.
On the 10th of October in 2009, Linares lost his WBA Super Featherweight Title and his unbeaten streak when he was defeated by Juan Carlos Salgado in the first round by TKO. This stunning defeat was named Ring Magazine's 2009 Upset of the Year.
In his return fight on July 31, 2010, Linares easily defeated Mexican-American boxer Rocky Juarez by unanimous decision.
Linares defeated Mexico's Adrian Verdugo by a technical knockout in the seventh round of a ten-round lightweight bout in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico, on May 28, 2011. After that fight, Linares has trained with Freddie Roach at Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, along with the U.S. Olympic boxing team in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and served as Manny Pacquiao’s sparring partner in Baguio in the Philippines.
Linares fought for the vacant WBC lightweight title against Antonio DeMarco at the Staples Center on October 15, 2011. He outlanded DeMarco 216 to 97 in overall punches landed, but lost by TKO after suffering a major cut on his nose eventually allowing DeMarco to begin pounding on it, forcing the referee to stop the fight in the eleventh round. In addition to his own wish, Golden Boy Promotions and Teiken Promotions appealed to the WBC for a rematch.
A rematch with Antonio DeMarco had been scheduled ahead of time to take place at the Home Depot Center on July 7. However Linares lost to Sergio Thompson in a WBC Lightweight title eliminator via a second round stoppage in Cancun, Mexico on March 31, 2012.
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