Omar Juarez outclassed Dakota Linger as expected but the underdog made him work for his victory.
Juarez, the junior welterweight prospect from Brownsville, Texas, outboxed and outworked Linger to win a near-shutout decision in an eight-round bout on the Yordenis Ugas-Abel Ramos card Sunday night at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.
However, Linger, a former Toughman contestant and wrestler, took everything Juarez fired at him and landed a surprising number of his own shots given the disparity in ability.
Juarez (9-0, 4 KOs) was particularly dominant when he boxed from the outside. However, he was willing to fight inside at many junctures, which gave his novice opponent the opportunity to do some effective work.
The winner landed many hellacious shots at various distances, particularly to the body. Linger’s durability was impressive.
However, in the end, Juarez was just too good for Linger (12-4-2, 8 KOs). He won by scores 80-72, 79-73 and 79-73.
“We knew Linger would be tough a tough fight,” Juarez said. “I came prepared for anything. I’m always active, always ready. I felt going good going eight rounds.”