Former lightweight champion Jorge Linares will try to fight his way back into the title mix on a card featuring Ryan Garcia vs. Francisco Fonseca on Feb. 14 at Honda Center in Anaheim, California.
Golden Boy Promotions announced Monday that Linares (46-5, 28 KOs) will face Carlos Morales (19-4, 8 KOs) on the DAZN-streamed card.
“2019 was a difficult year, but I’ve been through ups and downs in my career before, and I’ve always come back,’’ Linares said. “On Feb. 14, I’m going to show why I became a four-time world champion by scoring a dominant win. After that, I hope to fight for a world title very soon.”
Linares, who has won belts at featherweight, junior lightweight and lightweight, moved up to 140-pounds last Jan. 18 and suffered a first-round knockout against Pablo Cesar Cano in New York. The 34-year-old Venezuelan came back on Sept. 7, winning a decision over Filipino Al Toyogon in Japan.
A Linares victory could put him in line to fight Ryan Garcia, if Garcia beats Fonseca.
Morales, a 29-year-old Mexican, is a former junior lightweight who will be fighting at 135 pounds for the third time. He lost a majority decision to Garcia on Sept. 1, 2018 in Indio, California.