Most Boxing fans are familiar with the rise a fighter goes through from prospect, to contender status, to finally a world champion, along the way, also building a fan base. One subject this veteran Boxing scribe has made a point to cover over the many years I have covered the sport as well as other combat sports is a stage that many fans should also be familiar with. It is a stage that this observer has called “The Rebuild" in the past, some may call it a “Fresh Start," but it can also be referred to as "The Next Chapter.”
The latter might be the most appropriate of the aforementioned descriptions because all of the above can easily be used to describe former WBO Jr. Middleweight world champion Jaime Munguia. A fighter who was truly dominant and scary as a 154lb. Jr. Middleweight due to his punching power, Munguia chose to vacate his world championship 2019, choosing to seek greener pastures and more world championships, first in the 160lb. Middleweight division and then ultimately as a 168lb. Super-Middleweight. While he remained unbeaten as he moved up in weight, an opportunity to become a two-division world champion eluded him for several years.
In May of this year, however, Munguia finally got that opportunity to both become a two-division world champion as well as a lucrative opportunity when he challenged then Undisputed Super-Middleweight world champion Saul “Canelo" Alvarez in Las Vegas, NV. Although it was an opportunity Munguia had earned and seemingly chased after for years to face one of the biggest stars in the sport in Alvarez, Munguia was in many ways a background player in the build-up to the biggest fight of his career. This was due to the highly-publicized feud between Munguia’s promoter Oscar De La Hoya and Alvarez. While once Alvarez and Munguia were promotional stablemates fighting under De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions, the feud and legitimate dislike between Alvarez and De La Hoya, who had an ugly and public break up during the height of the COVID-19 epidemic, overshadowed what should have been, and frankly was an encounter between two of the biggest stars in the sport.
As for the fight itself, Munguia showed his mettle in getting up from the first knockdown of his career in the fourth round and putting in a “Game" effort in losing a twelve round unanimous decision to Alvarez, the first loss of his career. Now, Munguia looks to get back to his winning ways when he faces undefeated contender and current North American Boxing Federation (NABF) Super-Middleweight champion Erik Bazinyan On Friday, September 20th at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, AZ in a fight that can be seen here in the United States on digital subscription sports streaming network ESPN+.
This fight not only represents a new chapter for Munguia in terms of trying to get back on track inside the ring, but will also be his first fight under a new promoter in the Hall of Famer Bob Arum, whom he recently signed a multi-fight deal with. While there is no indication of a bitter split between Munguia and De La Hoya as there was between the latter and Saul Alvarez, this will likely be an adjustment for Munguia after competing for much of his career fighting under De La Hoya’s banner, but one that is certainly not uncommon to see fighters do throughout their careers in switching promoters depending on both opportunities in the ring as well as the financial aspects that go along with it.
In Erik Bazinyan, Munguia will face a seasoned professional fighter, who is unbeaten in thirty-three professional fights with thirty-two wins and twenty-two coming via knockout. Bazinyan, who will come into this fight off of a draw in his last bout in May against Shakeel Phinn, is rated highly in the top ten in the WBC, WBA, IBF, and WBO, with his highest rating being the number two ranking in the WBO Super-Middleweight ratings. While the ratings process is one that is always open to scrutiny and can be confusing to non-aficionados of the sport when one also factors in the various regional, international titles, and interim championship designations, to name a few, which are all designed to elevate a fighter’s position in the world rankings with an eye towards fighting for a world championship, what it means in this context is this is not a mere “Comeback Fight" for Munguia as Bazinyan is nearing mandatory challenger status and in some cases, is now higher rated than Munguia, depending on sanctioning organization per Munguia coming off of a loss in his last fight.
Furthermore, it means the winner of this flight could be in line to challenge for a world championship in their next fight. How will this fight be fought? Bazinyan is a well schooled boxer/puncher, who despite scoring knockouts in twenty-three of his fights registering a near 72% career knockout percentage, he is not viewed as the fighter with punching power here. What he could do is look to try and implement elements of what was successful for Alvarez against Munguia. Alvaraz, as he almost always does in his fights, implemented a tactical approach against Munguia, dictating how the fight was fought, beating him to the punch consistently, and out-working Munguia over twelve rounds. The challenge for Bazinyan will be to try and do something similar, which can be easier said than done due to the pressure Munguia usually applies on his opponents in addition to his punching power.
Although Munguia is certainly capable of ending a fight with either hand at any time if he connects flush, he looks to generally break his opponents down by applying pressure and cutting the ring off from his opponents. Depending on what Bazinyan’s tactics are from the outset, look for Munguia to apply pressure early and try to back Bazinyan up along the ropes. If this will indeed be the approach Munguia will try to implement, it's logical to think that a focus to establish an attack to Bazinyan’s body will be a focal point as he will try to limit his lateral movement while applying pressure.
A fairly high stakes encounter for both fighters with a lot on the line. While this is not the ideal scenario one would think of for a fighter coming off of a loss, it is a testament to the kind of fighter Jaime Munguia is that he has chosen to jump right back into the deep waters of the Super-Middleweight division rather than looking for an opponent that would be viewed as a soft touch to try and build his confidence back. Although there is a risk no matter what path a fighter takes, it is not a given that this chapter in Munguia’s career will begin with a bounce back win. Another loss for Munguia would not necessarily put his career in danger, but if he were to lose this fight, it will likely mean the rebuild process will be a longer one and might require a different approach and perhaps some retooling in terms of what is learned, polished, and refined in the gym as far as strategy and tactics. For now, one should not think too far ahead because what Jamie Mungia will look like coming off of the first loss of his career as well as what happens in this fight will obviously play a factor in what may or may not follow.
“And That's The Boxing Truth."
Munguia vs. Bazinyan takes place on Friday, September 20th at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, AZ. The fight as well as its full undercard can be seen in the United States on digital subscription sports streaming network ESPN+ beginning at 5:45PM ET/2:45PM PT.
ESPN+ is available through the ESPN app on mobile, tablet, and connected streaming devices and Smart TVs. For more information about ESPN+ including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices, platforms, Smart TVs, and to subscribe please visit: www.ESPNPlus.com.
(*Card and Start time Subject to Change.*)
(*Check your local listings internationally.*)
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