Bazinyan Gives Munguia A Test Before Succumbing To Pressure

 

A challenge that can occur from time to time when a fighter is coming off of a loss for that fighter's handlers is to determine not only what type of opponent that the fighter will face coming off of a loss in terms of style, but also to decide what the purpose of that opponent will be at least in theory. Will the intention simply be to provide the fighter with an opponent that from a stylistic standpoint as well as overall experience, the fighter should beat without much risk, or will the intention be to match their charge against a dangerous fighter in an attempt to get them back into position to potentially fight for a world championship. In other words, to throw them back into the deep end where the fighter has to for lack of a better term, *Sink Or Swim”

For the former WBO Jr. Middleweight world champion Jaime Munguia, his bout against undefeated Erik Bazinyan on September 20th in Glendale,AZ would prove to be the latter. Not only was this an encounter between a fighter coming off the first loss of his career in Munguia going against an unbeaten opponent, but also one between top contenders with both fighters being rated number two in the 168lb. Super-Middleweight division in the World Boxing Council (WBC) (Munguia) and the World Boxing Organization (WBO) (Bazinyan). What this can simply be summed up to for those who do not regularly follow the sport of Boxing, both fighters, at least in theory, were on the brink of fighting for a world title, which in Munguia’s case, means a potential second opportunity after coming up short against current unified world champion Saul “Canelo" Alvarez earlier this year. 

Although Bazinyan may not have been well-known to some, the Armenian-born, Canadian-based contender entered the bout with thirty-two victories in thirty-three professional fights, with the only negative coming in a draw in his last bout prior to facing Munguia. While this was his first bout against someone of Munguia's caliber in being a former world champion, who has competed near the top level of the sport for the last several years, Bazinyan also entered as the current North American Boxing Federation (NABF) Super-Middleweight champion. 

Bazinyan showed immediately when he met Munguia at the Desert Diamond Arena that he was not awed by the occasion and was intent in making the most of his opportunity. What turned out to be a key part of his approach in doing that was a strategy with an emphasis on fundamentals. In that he kept things simple and did not try to over assert himself. The primary weapon was Bazinyan’s jab. Not just by simply throwing the jab for the sake of throwing it, but knowing when to throw it at the proper distance where it allowed him to offset Munguia's pressure, use lateral movement to try and maintain that distance, and occasionally mix in hooks to the head and body. 

What also stood out was the compact way in how Bazinyan threw his punches, either jabbing then moving or at most throwing two or three punches and not remaining stationary when he threw a hook or a straight right behind his jab. This along with being able to periodically lend counter punches on Munguia seemed to frustrate the former world champion. Though Munguia established he was the harder hitter when he was able to land his punches, particularly with his left hook, Bazinyan showed an ability to withstand those blows and return offense. 

Through the first four rounds, this observer gave three of those rounds to Bazinyan based on his ability to keep the combat limited to a tactical Boxing match, where he seemed to be out thinking Munguia. At the end of six rounds, I had Bazinyan up four rounds to two. It would be over the next four rounds, however, where Munguia started landing more and more to the body and head of Bazinyan. By the end of eight rounds, Munguia had pulled even with Bazinyan on my scorecard. Munguia’s rally and attack would make the issue of scoring in this fight moot. In the tenth round, a barrage of punches set off by a left hook to the head, battered the very “Game” Bazinyan down to the canvas. The effects of not only that barrage of unanswered punches, but seemingly the accumulation of punishment, ultimately would be too much for Bazinyan to overcome as he was unable to beat the count of ten, giving Munguia a hard-fought, but impressive knockout victory.

For Jaime Munguia, a fighter who built a reputation as a “Knockout Artist,” but has struggled to score consistent knockouts as he’s gone up in weight, this fight proved to be one that should serve as a confidence builder, especially when one considers that the knockout was something that did not come easily and he was coming off the first loss of his career. This should at minimum keep him in the discussion for a potential world championship fight. As for Erik Bazinyan, while he might drop a few slots in the Super-Middleweight rankings per this, his first loss in his career, his stock has definitely gone up in defeat and he will likely also remain in the discussion of top Super-Middleweight contenders that could end up fighting for a world championship at any point. It may simply come down to what opportunities are available and when that will determine where Munguia and Bazinyan go next.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

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The Next Chapter For Jaime Munguia

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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Alvarez-Munguia Thoughts

Recent times in the sport of Boxing have been to some it up in a word, “Strange.” Strange in the sense that what has gone on prior to a scheduled bout outside the ring, has turned out to mean as much or more than the fights themselves when they finally take place inside the ring. By now, we are all familiar with the erratic behavior of one Ryan Garcia that occurred before and after his victory over Devin Haney on April 20th, which has taken yet another turn when it was revealed that the fighter, who had scored an impressive twelve round majority decision over Haney in Brooklyn, NY at the Barclays Center, tested positive for banned substances before and after the fight in tests conducted by the Voluntary Anti-Dopping Agency (VADA), which regularly oversees such procedures in combat sports. While the circumstances of Garcia will continue to play out for better or worse, which this observer stands by his previous comments before and after his bout with Haney, the Boxing world focused on what I personally believe to be one of the better fights that had been made thus far on the 2024 schedule when Undisputed Super-Middleweight world champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez made his sixth title defense against the dangerous undefeated top contender and former WBO Jr. Middleweight world champion Jaime Munguia on May 4th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV.

As much as I would like to tell the reader, both those who are knowledgable of the sport and follow both the fights themselves as well as the coverage yours truly has provided for nearly three decades, that the story of this encounter was simply one between two of the top stars in the sport meeting for the Undisputed Super-Middleweight championship of the world as the latest attraction for the sport during Cinco de Mayo weekend, unfortunately there is more to the story, that took place in the days prior to the fight. In the interest of honesty with the reader, in light of recent events in the sport like the one mentioned above that had taken place previously, I would prefer to discuss what happened in the ring on May 4th before discussing what happened beforehand, which cast a shadow over what at least on paper had the makings of a Fight of the Year candidate.

Of course, it is not often that the sport is treated to an encounter between two of the top stars of the sport. One, who has been arguably the sport’s top economic draw for several years, the other arguably a rising star that may ultimately occupy that position one day. Two fighters with significant fan followings and both who more often than not, give a Boxing fan their money’s worth whenever they compete.  

What stood out to this observer, though at the same time was not surprising was Munguia started this fight aggressively and appeared to try to execute a fight plan with an emphasis of working of his jab and trying to attack Alvarez with volume punching, throwing combinations and keeping Alvarez on the defensive. For a time, the challenger’s tactics appeared to be working, there was even one exchange during the early rounds where Munguia appeared to pop the head of the champion back with a crisp, but fast triple jab. 

After three rounds, I felt that Munguia’s approach was enough to win two of those rounds. I did question however,  whether the high pace in which Munguia was fighting would ultimately turn against him as the fight progressed. One of the trademarks of Saul Alvarez as his career has gone on is his ability to adjust his fight plan as a fight goes on. While Munguia established himself early, Alvarez, a precision counter puncher among the best in the sport, bided his time and waited for his opportunity to strike. 

Such an opportunity would emerge in round four when in the midst of an exchange, the champion would connect with a perfectly timed right uppercut to the head that dropped Munguia. Despite being knocked down for the first time in his career by a shot he did not see, Munguia showed his mettle by getting up, showing an ability to recover, and doing so while under heavy offensive fire from Alvarez.

It was the moment in the fight however, which signaled a turning point in the bout. For it was from that knockdown in the fourth round onward that Alvarez seized control of the fight.  He did this by established, despite Munguia's attempts to maintain a high pace and keep punches coming at Alvarez to the body and head, when Alvarez threw his punches whether it was a short combination where he took the lead, single punches, or counter punches, his punches were harder, did more damage, and dictated the end and flow of the fight. 

Round after round the pattern remained the same. Munguia often trying to bring the fight to Alvarez, the champion doing his best to deflect the challenger's punches either with his gloves, or head movement, and making the most out of the openings Munguia left him to throw and land crisp combinations, power punches, and counter punches. Although Munguia have it everything he had and never stopped trying to land the proverbial “Fight Turning" blow till the final bell, the outcome was academic as Alvarez would retain his undisputed championship via a convincing twelve round unanimous decision.

The sixth successful title defense for Alvarez was simply as dominant as he has been in his entire career, short of him getting a knockout victory. Although he was indeed forced to go the distance for the fifth consecutive time and this forced to box sixty rounds in the process over that stretch, the Undisputed Super-Middleweight champion of the world showed in this fight against a truly dangerous opponent that came to fight that he is far from done, despite some recent criticism that perhaps after sixty-four professional fights prior to this bout, that perhaps his inability to score knockouts in recent times may be a sign that there may be signs of decline in the thirty-three year old four-division world champion. For now, Alvarez has put a stop to those whispers. It would be nice if that were all that needed to be said. 

Unfortunately, the shadow that loomed over what should have been voted simply as two stars of the sport, both in their prime facing each other, must now be discussed. A sub-plot that emerged in the days before the fight centered around Oscar De La Hoya, the former world champion, Hall of Famer, who promotes Munguia and was the a longtime promoter of Alvarez, took his opportunity to fire back in response to Alvarez who had a highly publicized and ugly split with him in 2020. While Alvarez has made accusations in the years since his split from De La Hoya and his company Golden Boy Promotions, at a press conference days before the fight De La Hoya finally responded to his former client saying in essence that he feels Alvarez has forgotten who helped him reach the level he currently is at in the sport and saying his name should be spoken with respect. De La Hoya also addressed his struggles with alcoholism, something that Alvarez has to put it kindly, criticized him for publicly since their split . Alvarez in response got up from his position at a table on stage and proceeded to attempt to get to De La Hoya before being stopped by security that were in attendance.

While some will dismiss this as simply “Prefight Hype" and utter nonsense, much like the recent conduct of Ryan Garcia, also promoted by De La Hoya, and a former stablemate of Alvarez under trainer Eddy Reynoso, I have a simple question for the reader. Where is the responsibility and accountability to the sport.

The responsibility of those in the sport like Alvarez, Garcia, and De La Hoya to represent Boxing with conduct becoming of professionals, responsibility to not only represent the sport well and hopefully help in assisting to grow Boxing for future generations, and the accountability from those who oversee, sanction, and regulate the sport to ensure that not only Boxing as a sport is respected, but to hopefully ensure that failures to adhere to professional standards/conduct are met with disciplinary action.

In short, all three have failed to uphold such a standard recently. Although some may find humor in such conduct, it ultimately hurts a sport that already has too many flaws and things that can and should be criticized including, but not limited to an over use, abuse, and reliance on a dying model of pay-per-view. While the latter has been something yours truly has criticized frequently and will continue to do so as long as it continues to not benefit the sport or the fans who support it, if those who regulate, sanction, and oversee the seemingly have little interest in actually regulating and ensuring the sport is held in high regard, an approach that one often would not see in other organized sports, why bother regulating at all? Perhaps Boxing should now be viewed in the same vein as Professional Wrestling.

Although I as one who also spent several years covering that industry as well as Boxing and other combat sports am being sarcastic with the aforementioned statement, the bottom line is without adequate oversight to not only ensure rules and regulations are followed before, during, and after fights, and those in the sport conduct themselves as professionals as they are supposed to be, it mind as well be held in the same regard as an entertainment realm, which sadly, despite it's status as a form of live-action performance art and the physical risks performers take being well known, is still viewed by some as a joke.

Boxing deserves better. 

“And That's The Boxing Truth." 

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Alvarez-Munguia: A Fight Of The Year Candidate?

Despite suffering a setback in May 2022 in losing a twelve round unanimous decision to Dmitry Bivol in a failed bid to become a two-time Light-Heavyweight world champion, the career of Undisputed Super-Middleweight world champion Saul “Canelo" Alvarez has continued to go strong as he has remained a fully undisputed champion in the 168lb. Super-Middleweight division since he completed the unification process in stopping Caleb Plant in November 2021. The fact that Alvarez has remained undisputed champion for nearly three years is an accomplishment few can lay a claim to. Not only because of the obvious hurdles that a champion encounters every time they enter the ring to defend their championship, but also and perhaps more specifically, the red tape that occurs with regard to the respective sanctioning organizations, all of whom have obligations that their portion of a world championship that is part of a unified or undisputed crown, must be defended against a mandatory challenger of their designation on an annual basis, which if a champion fails to do so or is not granted an extension, often results in the title being stripped from the champion.

The political elements of the sport aside, Alvarez as a Super-Middleweight has been nothing short of dominant in continuing to defend his crown against the best the division has to offer. In his last outing,  Alvarez dominated former Undisputed Jr. Middleweight world champion Jermell Charlo in September of last year. Frankly, it was a case of Alvarez’ natural strength and skill being too much for Charlo, who moved up two weight divisions to try and defeat Alvarez. A one-sided victory for Alvarez, a twelve round unanimous decision, marked his sixth successful title defense since first becoming a Super-Middleweight world champion in December 2020 with a unanimous decision over then WBO world champion Callum Smith and the third since he fully unified the division. 

While there remains no shortage of potential challengers in and around the Super-Middleweight division, most notably undefeated former WBC Super-Middleweight world champion David Benavidez, who is the current top contender for Alvarez in the World Boxing Council (WBC) Super-Middleweight ratings and is reportedly moving up to the 175lb. Light-Heavyweight division after not being able to secure an opportunity against Alvarez, the champion has opted to move forward.  Although if one were to make a list of current Super-Middleweight contenders, there would be many who would point to Benavidez as possibly the most dangerous among them, Alvarez has chosen what could very well be an opponent that is just as dangerous for what will be his seventh title defense. The undefeated top contender and former WBO Jr. Middleweight world champion Jaime Munguia in a fight that will take place on May 4th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV and will be available on a pay-per-view basis through both Prime Video and DAZN.

This is not the first time that Alvarez and Munguia have been potential opponents. Some may recall in 2018 when Alvarez was between the first two fights of his trilogy with Gennady Golovkin, Munguia, who was then a world champion in the Jr. Middleweight division, was slated to move up to the 160lb. Middleweight division to face Alvarez. While there have been no shortage of similar scenarios throughout Boxing history where a world champion in a lower weight division has moved up in weight to seek among other things, more lucrative paydays, the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) declined to sanction what was at that point a potential bout between the two due to what they deemed to be an experience disadvantage between the two. 

Since then, the two fighters have gone in different directions, with Munguia seemingly chasing Alvarez from a distance.  It is indeed true that, despite following Alvarez up in weight through the Middleweight and Super-Middleweight divisions as well as remaining unbeaten in the years since he was denied an opportunity to fight Alvarez, Jaime Munguia has not fought for a world championship in the years since he relinquished his Jr. Middleweight crown. 

In some ways, one might view that as both an injustice as well as somewhat refreshing in the sense that because there are seventeen full weight divisions in the sport, with only one sanctioning organization recognizing a would-be eighteenth division, the Bridgerweight class, it is common to see world champions move up and down the weight scale depending on what opportunities might be available and get into position to fight for more world titles in very little time, even at times getting that opportunity as soon as they move up in weight.  While no circumstance is exactly the same, the fact that Munguia has had to fight his way through, including being tested along the way as any would-be contender even though his status as an unbeaten former world champion remains in tact, has allowed him to make a strong case for himself for the opportunity that is now here against Alvarez.

The question is, what are his chances? One must keep in mind that Munguia has thirty-four knockouts in his forty-three career wins and his punching power has remained as he has moved up in weight. After spending some time under the guidance of the former world champion and Hall of Famer Erik Morales, Munguia will now be led into the biggest fight of his career by another former fighter in the form of Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach. There is one similarity between Roach and Morales. As fighters, both were offensive-minded, and that mentality remains for both as trainers, with Roach a disciple of his former trainer the late great Eddie Futch, being regarded as one of the top trainers in the sport.

Munguia’s first outing with Roach in his corner was successful in January of this year when he scored a ninth round stoppage of former world title challenger John Ryder, sending the always “Game" fighter into retirement. Many will recall Ryder’s valiant effort when he challenged Alvarez for the Undisputed Super-Middleweight crown almost exactly one year ago. In a fight where Alvarez dished out a brutal beating and broke Ryder's nose, Ryder still fought on and made it to the final bell of that encounter.

While some might use the comparison of how Alvarez and Munguia each went on to victory over Ryder as a way to compare who might have an edge between the two as this fight approaches, there will likely also be some who will point out that by the time Munguia fought Ryder, Ryder was on the downside of a fine career and had been in several grueling battles before his twelve rounds with Alvarez. So, the fact that Munguia was able to stop Ryder, whereas Alvarez went on to  a decision victory to retain his championship, may not in any way serve as a reflection of what might happen in this fight. 

What will this fight look like once the champion and challenger are in the ring? The main objective for the challenger as has been the case for most of Alvarez’ previous opposition, will be to apply consistent pressure. The pressure applied however, must be done tactically and not recklessly. Alvarez’ two official losses came against fighters who were master boxers in Floyd Mayweather and Dmitry Bivol. While neither implemented a pressure approach against Alvarez and implemented a more tactical strategy where they did not allow Alvarez to get into a rhythm and dictated the fight from start to finish, the champion is not someone who fights well under pressure and there are many throughout the sport, this observer included who felt his first two fights against Gennady Golovkin, a fighter who similar to Munguia likes to come forward, apply pressure, and break his opponents down, could have gone in favor of Golovkin rather than a draw being rendered in the first fight followed by Alvarez winning the second fight, and ultimately winning the trilogy and seemingly sending Golovkin into retirement. 

Although I felt Golovkin won the first two fights, and simply started too late in the third bout, which allowed Alvarez to win the third bout more convincingly, the common element in the first two fights that could be viewed as a mistake Golovkin made, which Munguia must try to avoid here as he now faces Alvarez is in the middle and late rounds, Golovkin backed off from applying pressure just enough where it allowed Alvarez time to adapt. While I felt and still feel that Golovkin did enough to win both of those fights when the final bell rang, if Munguia has success early on in this fight, he must not get complacent and allow Alvarez any wiggle room to get back into the fight on the scorecards if this goes the distance. Simply put, he must leave no doubt as to who is the better fighter.

Of course, there is the possibility that this fight wil not go the distance. For his part, Alvarez has scored knockouts in thirty-nine of his sixty-four professional fights, so he also has the punching power to get an opponent out of there if the opportunity arises. The one thing we have never seen to this point in Alvarez’ career is what would hapen if he is hurt, knocked down, and legitimately in trouble in a fight. Even Gennady Golovkin, a fighter who was one of the most feared knockout artists in the sport with a career knockout percentage of nearly 89%, who had a percentage over 90% prior to his first encounter with Alvarez in September 2017 could not knock Alvarez off his feet, but was able to land several hard shots throughout his three bouts with him and Alvarez was able to stand up to what Golovkin had. If one is to go on evidence up to this point in Alvarez’ career, where he has shared the ring with several Hall of Famers and future Hall of Famers, they would conclude that he has a granite chin. What will be interesting to see is not only if Munguia is able to test Alvarez’ chin as others have, but potentially focus a significant portion of his offensive approach to the body. An element Golovkin seemed to implement in parts of the first two fights against Alvarez, but did not sustain it. 

One tactical element that Munguia could use in this fight that Dmitry Bivol was able to do in his victory over Alvarez was he did not allow himself to be baited into traps. There were several instances throughout the fight where Bivol refused to press the action when Alvarez was on the ropes and inviting him to come forward and engage him on the inside. The styles of Bivol, a master boxer and Munguia, a power punching pressure fighter, are different, but what the challenger needs to try and avoid is being baited into traps, especially if it is evident that he is having success and the bait tactics attempted by the champion are an attempt to turn the ebb and flow in his favor, as was the case against Bivol, which did not succeed.

Although this fight might not amount to much more than simply the latest chapter in what will be a Hall of Fame career for the current Undisputed Super-Middleweight champion of the world, the fact that Alvarez not only fully unified the Super-Middleweight division, but has kept it that way in the years since is deserving of praise. Alvarez must keep in mind however, despite his status as now a long-reigning undisputed champion and as one of the biggest stars in the sport of Boxing, every challenger sees him as an opportunity not only for a big payday, not only as a chance to become an undisputed champion, but if they do indeed beat him, an opportunity to hit the proverbial jackpot. While some may feel other contenders might deserve the opportunity to fight Alvarez, Jaime Munguia is the fighter who has the opportunity now and he should be viewed with the respect normally given to a top contender and based on his resume, should be regarded as a dangerous opponent. 

Cinco de Mayo weekend in the sport of Boxing traditionally has been filled with historic battles in the past. Whether Alvarez-Munguia will be the latest to join that long list remains to be seen. 

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

Alvarez vs. Munguia takes place on Saturday, May 4th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV. The fight as well as its full undercard can be seen on both Prime Video and DAZN on a pay-per-view basis for $89.99 and will also be available through traditional cable/satellite providers. The card will begin at 6PM ET/3PM PT with preliminary bouts followed by the pay-per-view portion of the card beginning at 8PM ET/5PM PT.

To order this pay-per-view event on Prime Video, download the Prime Video app on mobile, tablet, or connected streaming devices/Smart TVs or Click here. To order on DAZN, download the DAZN app on your device of choice or Click here.

(*Card and Start time Subject to Change.*)

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Alvarez-Munguia Pay-Per-View Now Available To Preorder Purchase On Prime Video, DAZN

The upcoming Undisputed Super-Middleweight world championship fight between reigning champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez and undefeated former WBO Jr. Middleweight world champion Jaime Mungiia, which is scheduled to take place on Saturday, May 4th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV, is now available to purchase on Prime Video both through the Prime Video app available on mobile, tablet, and connected streaming devices/Smart TVs as well as Amazon. The pay-per-view card, which is priced at $89.95, will also be simulcast on a pay-per-view basis on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN at the same price point. 

To order this pay-per-view event on Prime Video, download the Prime Video app on your device of choice or click here. To order on DAZN, download the DAZN app or click here. 

We will have a preview of Alvarez-Munguia here on The Boxing Truth®️ on Thursday, May 2nd. Stay tuned. 

"And That's The Boxing Truth." 

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Gloves Off: Canelo Alvarez-Jaime Munguia Now Streaming On Prime Video

Press Release: April 25, 2024 By  Prime Video - The all-new edition of Gloves Off will chronicle the intriguing backstories of two Mexican-born fighters set to appear in the can’t-miss PBC on Prime Video Pay-Per-View showdown, live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, May 4

Credit: Prime Video 

NEW YORK— April 24, 2024—Today, Prime Video announced the launch of an all-new, two-episode presentation of Gloves Off, the revealing series that brings fight fans compelling behind-the-scenes access in the lead-up to highly-anticipated PBC on Prime Video boxing events. Gloves Off: Canelo vs. Munguia, narrated by Barry Pepper, premieres on Prime Video today, and takes fans far beyond the ring. The series blends footage and stories of the two fighters’ lives, families, training camp team members, and training camp activity as the build-up increases to the highly-anticipated Cinco de Mayo weekend showdown in Las Vegas.

 

Squaring off in the May 4 blockbuster event will be Undisputed Super Middleweight World Champion and Mexican icon Canelo Alvarez placing his world title on the line versus rising Mexican star Jaime Munguia, an unbeaten former world champion. The episodes illustrate the personal stakes on the line and offers an intimate look at these prizefighters headlining the first four-belt undisputed title fight between Mexican combatants and harkens back to the great Mexico vs. Mexico matchups of the past.

Material and Photo Courtesy of Prime Video Used with permission.

For more information about Prime Video please visit: www.PrimeVideo.com. 

For more information about Premier Boxing Champions please visit: www. PrimierBoxingChampions. com

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Did Munguia Do Enough To Get Alvarez' Attention?

In the present day in the 168lb. Super-Middleweight division, every fight outside of those that are contested for a world championship, which in present context is the Undisputed Super-Middleweight championship of the world, held by Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, is essentially an audition for potential challengers to show why they should be the next challenger for Alvarez. When one also factors into the equation that Alvarez is also one of the biggest draws in the sport of Boxing, there is also plenty of financial incentive in addition to the chance to fight for an undisputed championship.

One such audition took place on January 27th when undefeated former WBO Jr. Middleweight world champion Jaime Munguia squared off with former two-time world title challenger and recent Alvarez opponent John Ryder in Phoenix, AZ. The story of this fight in the lead up was simple. One fighter was seeking an opportunity for what would be the biggest fight of his career due to the aforementioned elements, the other was seeking a potential second opportunity after putting forth a “Game” and determined effort against the champion. For Munguia, this fight also represented his first working with former contender of yesteryear and Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach.

Whether it can be attributed to Roach now being in Muguia’s corner, Munguia began this fight coming forward and putting pressure on Ryder. A reversal from his last bout against former world title challenger Sergiy Derevyanchenko where it was Derevyanchenko pressuring Muguia and pushing him back, this time it was Munguia, who was pushing his opponent back. What followed over nine rounds was a physical dissection where Munguia simply broke Ryder down.

Munguia did this largely by changing levels and finding a home for his right hand. It was the right hand that led to knockdowns in rounds two and four. While it appeared after the second knockdown that Munguia simply had too much punching power and hand speed for Ryder, to good credit Ryder did try to slow the ebb and flow of the combat, and did have some periodic success in landing his own right hand and hooks in the middle rounds. 

The story of the fight however, did not change, in that as “Game" as Ryder was and has been throughout her entire career, he simply could not find an answer to avoid the right hand of Munguia and the consistent attack to the head and body ultimately resulted in Munguia knocking him down for a third time with a flush overhand right in round nine. Although Ryder got up, it would not be long before he would be sent down for the fourth time as a result of a hook to the body. 

Ryder staggered to his feet, but his corner chose to throw the towel in to save him from further punishment, ending the fight and making Munguia the second fighter to stop Ryder in his career. Inevitably, there will now be comparisons to Alvarez, who scored a lopsided unanimous decision over Ryder in May of last year.

The one thing that Munguia can say is he did stop Ryder inside the distance and did so in impressive fashion. Whether or not that will result in him being among the next in line for Alvarez, who likely has a mandatory defense in his future of one of the championships that comprises the Undisputed Super-Middleweight championship, at minimum, this performance should be something to get Alvarez’ attention and a potential encounter between the two may be sooner than later providing that Alvarez is able to retain his crown in the meantime and Munguia is able to not only maintain his current position, but continue to move up the ladder towards that showdown.

“And That's The Boxing Truth.

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Can Munguia Get A Shot At Alvarez By Beating Ryder?

The month of January 2024 in the sport of Boxing will come to a close on Saturday, January 27th with an intriguing battle in Boxing's 168lb. Super-Middleweight division. An encounter that some might label a “Crossroads Fight." This observer is referring to the fight between undefeated former WBO Jr. Middleweight world champion Jaime Munguia and former multi-time world title challenger John Ryder. A fight that will take place in Phoenix, AZ at the Footprint Center and csn be seen globally on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN.

What makes this fight interesting is it features one fighter in Munguia, who after having a successful reign as a world champion in the Jr. Middleweight division, has remained unbesten, but has not been able to secure an opportunity to fight for another world championship in either the 160lb. Middleweight or now as a 168lb. Super-Middleweight. While some might argue that Munguia deserves the label as being an avoided fighter in and around what is at times referred to as a “Weight Neighborhood," he has remained not only undefeated, but also as a potential opponent for the current Undisputed world champion of the Super-Middleweight division, Saul “Canelo" Alvarez.

With the obvious aim of trying to secure a title shot against Alvarez, Munguia, who is undefeated in forty-two professional fights with thirty-three knockouts, will turn to a man who's most recent outing was against Alvarez. Yours truly is referring to John Ryder, who traveled to Mexico in May of last year where he put forth a very “Game" effort in losing a twelve round unanimous decision in a failed attempt to dethrone Alvarez. 

This presents an interesting scenario as this fight approaches that is somewhat of an unwritten approach that is implemented at times by fighters who are labeled as avoided by trying to face fighters that have faced their target opponent in an attempt to stir not only public opinion, but also said target into a potential encounter. While this approach is in some ways as old as the sport itself, the obvious danger to said approach is by establishing a common opponent between the fighter seeking opportunity and the target opposition, it also allows the fighter with the previous experience against the target opponrnt, in this case Alvarez, an opportunity to bounce back and thus try to themself secure another opportunity.

Such a scenario is often interesting because of several factors. The most obvious among them is the question of whether the result of the fighter looking for an opportunity with a target opponent against a fighter who fought that potential opponent will be any different or perhaps better should that fighter also defeat said opponent. In this case, Alvarez defeated John Ryder via a unanimous decision in a fight where, despite being dropped and suffering a beating over twelve rounds including a broken nose, Ryder was able to go the distance with the champion and even had some success in the latter stages of that fight. The fact that Alvarez though having retained his undisputed championship convincingly, could not stop Ryder inside the distance will obviously create the potential comparison with Munguia, a fighter that has a near 80% career knockout percentage.

While some were critical of Ryder getting that opportunity against Alvarez, despite being a mandatory challenger at the time, the determined effort he put forth in that fight endeared him to Boxing fans and even though some might view him as a sacrificial opponent for Munguia, Ryder is still one of the top fighters in the Super-Middleweight division and no doubt views this fight as an opportunity to catapult himself back into the discussion of potential challengers for Alvarez. Ryder going twelve hard rounds with one of the top stars in the sport and withstanding everything Alvarez threw at him til the final bell, likely gives him confidence going into this fight against one of Boxing's noted “Knockout Artists."

Although Munguia has at times struggled to maintain that reputation as he has moved up in weight, he has scored knockouts in three of his last four bouts. With this in mind, the main question going into this fight will be whether Ryder can withstand Munguia’s punching power. John Ryder is a seasoned veteran who knows how to grind out tough decisions by forcing his opponents to engage in rough and often grueling fights where the main tactic has been his ability to apply pressure.

Whether or not Ryder can do that against someone of Munguia's reputation remains to be seen. It is also important to keep in mind, despite Munguia's ability to score quick and often devastating knockouts, there have been times throughout his career where even his best efforts, some fighters, much like Ryder was able to do against Alvarez, were able to go the distance with Munguia, most notably former world title challengers Gabriel Roaado and most recently Sergiy Derevyanchenko, who Munguia was able to drop, but could not finish. 

While it is by no means set in stone that the winner of this fight will be in the immediate future for Alvarez, who likely will have some mandatory title defenses in the pipeline in order to remain an undisputed champion, nevertheless, there is an opportunity for both Munguia and Ryder to try and produce the type of performance that will drum up public demand for either to get an opportunity to fight for the Undisputed Super-Middleweight championship of the world. Only time will tell whether the winner of this fight will be able to maneuver themselves into such an opportunity during 2024 or beyond.

“And That's The Boxing Truth."

Munguia vs. Ryder takes place on Saturday, January 27th at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, AZ. The card can be seen globally on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN beginning with preliminary bouts at 5:30PM ET/2:30PM PT. This will be followed by the main card beginning at 8PM ET/5PM PT.

For more information about DAZN including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices, platforms, Smart TVs, availability around the world, and to subscribe please visit: www.DAZN.com. 

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Jabs And Observations: February 2022

 A new feature here on The Boxing Truth® Jabs And Observations that was introduced in the month of January that will hopefully become a regular fixture of the rotation of content offered to readers as well as in an effort to cover more ground by this observer in regard to the events and happenings in the world of Boxing. Following the feature’s first installment last month, the time has come for the February 2022 edition. While there has been plenty that has gone on outside of the Boxing ring over the last several weeks that will be touched upon later in this month's Jabs And Observations, the February installment should begin with what has happened inside the ring. To be more specific, some of the events that took place over February 18th and 19th around the Boxing world.

 

Obviously, one that is knowledgeable in regard to the sport of Boxing knows that it is a sport that truly operates twenty-four hours a day, three-hundred sixty-five days a year both in and out of the ring. As such, it can be a difficult task to keep track of and watch everything that goes on even as advances in technology in the streaming realm have greatly improved access to the sport. In honesty with the reader, it is one reason why features such as this have become necessary for yours truly to pen as even though my commitment to covering the sport is a true 24/7 passion for me, I am after all only one person and, despite my dedication, even I will not be able to cover all the fights and events that take place throughout the sport as they occur. Such was the case over this two day period as while I was covering a six bout Boxing card that was promoted by Thompson Boxing Promotions that took place on February 18th in Ontario, CA, other events were occurring throughout the sport.

 

First among those Boxing cards that will be covered as part of this month's edition of Jabs And Observations took place in Orlando, FL on February 18th where premium cable network Showtime presented its latest installment of its popular ShoBox: The New Generation series. A series that has long been a platform for rising prospects to take steps towards world title contention, the most recent edition of the series was no exception.

 

The main event saw undefeated rising Lightweight prospect Jamaine Ortiz score a dominant ten round unanimous decision over Nahir Albright. In what was Ortiz’ sixteenth bout as a professional, he displayed hand speed, timing, elusiveness, and solid counter punching to out work Albright over ten rounds to earn the unanimous decision victory and along with it, the vacant North American Boxing Federation (NABF) Lightweight championship.

 

The 135lb. Lightweight division has historically been one of the most competitive in the entire sport due simply to the depth of talent that consistently occupies the division. As most Boxing fans know, the division recently saw a shake up in undefeated George Kambosos upsetting previously undefeated Undisputed Lightweight world champion Tiofimo Lopez late last year to win the title. Since then, there has certainly been no shortage of potential opponents for the champion's first title defense that is expected to occur sometime in 2022. Although Jamaine Ortiz may not be quite at the point where buzz begins to stir of him being a potential opponent for Kambosos or whomever the champion might be down the road, he has certainly put himself out there as a fighter to watch and his having won an NABF title will likely help him progress forward towards a potential world title shot down the line given its affiliation with the World Boxing Council (WBC), who have similar affiliations with other regional sanctioning organizations both here in the United States as well as around the world.

 

The co-main event of this edition of ShoBox saw what was in my estimation an equally dominant performance, but a bout that ended up being overshadowed by controversial scoring. Yours truly is referring to the encounter between Welterweight prospects Marquis Taylor and Paul Kroll. An eight round bout that was the first time in my recollection that I had seen either fighter compete. A fight that can beat be described as one fighter showcasing what turned out to be a superior skillset mixing hand speed and punching power simply besting the other who seemed a step behind, Taylor effectively out boxed a very “Game” Kroll over the course of the eight round bout in what had all the appearance of a clear decision victory in Taylor’s favor.

 

In Boxing however, sometimes things are not always as they appear. Despite the appearance of Taylor earning a victory that should have put him on the radar, only one official judge scored the bout widely in his favor, while a second judge scored the bout by two points in favor of Kroll, which led to the third and deciding judge to render an even scorecard resulting in the bout being declared a majority draw.

 

One does not have to dive too deep into history to know that controversial scoring is unfortunately something that at times comes with the territory not just in Boxing, but all of combat sports. While over the many years I have covered Boxing as well as other combat sports on occasion, I have become used to providing readers with an analysis of how fights are scored and the criteria that is used as part of that process, more recently as was the case with the recent Super-Middleweight encounter between Daniel Jacobs and John Ryder, such analysis is not necessarily warranted beyond sharing my point of view that I simply disagreed with the official decision. The silver lining is that both Taylor and Kroll are relatively young in their respective careers and it is probably beneficial for both that this decision did not occur on a bigger stage and/or one where there was more at stake in terms of financially as well as in the Welterweight division's rankings. As such, it is also not hard to envision that these two fighters could meet again down the line.

 

February 19th was a day in the sport where there was one premise that could arguably apply to three notable bouts that took place across the globe. Former world champions looking to provide a strong argument for themselves towards another world title shot. First to enter the ring that day was former three-division world champion Jorge Linares, who faced rising Lightweight contender Zaur Abdullaev in Ekaterinburg, Russia.

 

Despite having a significant experience advantage over Abdullaev both in terms of world championship experience as well as overall experience inside the ring, the thirty-six year old Linares was coming into this fight off of a loss to undefeated top Lightweight contender Devin Haney in May of last year. Although Linares became the first fighter to legitimately hurt Haney in the tenth round of a competitive fight, he appeared to be on the decline of a fine career going into this fight against a fighter in Abdullaev, who appears to be on the rise. While the story of an aging former champion stepping in against a rising contender is one that is as old as the sport itself, the key going into this fight in my eyes was what Linares would have left at this stage of his career as he no doubt looked to this encounter as a way to springboard himself back into the world championship picture in the extremely talent deep 135lb. Lightweight division.

 

In contrast to Linares, twenty-seven year old Abdullaev was competing in his sixteenth professional bout compared to Linares’ fifty-fourth. As such, it was logical to ask what effect, if any would the difference in experience have on Abdullaev, even though he had the advantage in terms of youth and as well as fighting in his hometown were in his favor.

 

A significant portion of this fight was controlled by Linares’ ability to keep Abdullaev at distance with his jab. While the two fighters were in relatively close proximity to engage with each other on a consistent basis, Linares being able to keep Abdullaev on the end of his jab as well as regularly throwing left hooks to the body as part of combinations he threw off of his jab was the story of the fight for a lengthy period of time. Although Abdullaev had success attacking in spurts, he was not successful in being able to apply pressure on Linares and back him up against the ropes consistently. When Abdullaev connected with punches however, the difference in power was to his advantage.

 

Over the course of the second half of the scheduled twelve round bout, Abdullaev’s punching power began to gradually close the gap between himself and Linares. This was particularly evident in rounds eight and nine when combinations to the head as well as some effective work to Linares’ body appeared to hurt the former three-division world champion. While this could have also been attributed in part to fatigue as the fight was fought at a relatively quick pace, the momentum started to shift to Abdullaev at this stage in the fight.

 

As Abdullaev was able to increase his pressure of Linares in the latter stages of the bout and what worked well for Linares throughout most of the fight began to decrease, I started to wonder whether or not what appeared to be a significant lead that Linares was able to build would be enough to get him over the finish line if the fight were to go its full twelve round distance. After all, it was only two weeks ago that John Ryder was able to pull off what many would consider an upset over former IBF Middleweight champion Daniel Jacobs in a fight that was not unlike this one in terms of how it was fought. Any questions that I might have had developing in my mind about what the potential scoring of the bout might have been at the conclusion of the bout, did not need to be asked. For it was in the twelfth and final round that Abdullaev would catch up with Linares, dropping the former world champion with a left hook to the jaw that sent him down to the canvas. Abdullaev would follow that knockdown by scoring a second knockdown moments later with another left hook to the jaw. A clearly hurt Linares got up for a second time showing his mettle, but he had no answer to keep Abdullaev off of him and after a follow-up barrage with Linares up against the ropes, the fight was promptly stopped.

 

Although the way Zaur Abdullaev was able to break Jorge Linares down to score a stoppage late in the fight was impressive and will likely move him into the discussion of potential world title challengers for current Undisputed Lightweight world champion George Kambosos, the obvious question coming out of this fight is what does the future look like for Jorge Linares? It should not be overlooked or dismissed that by all accounts Jorge Linares was in this fight right until the moment where Abdullaev was able to catch him and put him away.

 

While it was a highly competitive fight fought at a quick pace and the aspect of fatigue should also not be dismissed, what should also not be overlooked is Jorge Linares has been through several grueling fights over the course of his eighteen year professional career. With six of his seven losses in fifty-four career fights having come via stoppage, some may say that at this point Linares should consider retirement. Ultimately, that is a decision that he and he alone will have to make, but for now perhaps a rest and some time to reflect is what Linares needs before deciding what he wants to do next.

 

Two fighters who were idle for lengthy periods of time due in part to the ongoing global COVID-19 epidemic that have circled each other for years for a potential showdown in the Boxing hotbed of the United Kingdom are former world champions Kell Brook and Amir Khan. A potential showdown between the two often discussed, much anticipated, but ultimately one that many people felt was past it’s due date by the time the two fighters met at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England to finally settle what had turned into a bitter rivalry between the two former world champions.

 

Much as was the case with Jorge Linares, both Brook and Khan had the ultimate goal of getting back into position to challenge for a world championship. Quite frankly, even as seasoned as yours truly is in regard to covering the sport and having seen just about everything one can see take place inside of a Boxing ring, at least until the next unforeseen occurrence, I did not know what to expect from this fight as I like a lot of people within the sport questioned if it was too little, too late to make this fight a reality.

 

Of course, the concept of letting a fight sit on a backburner for lengthy periods of time is one that promoters throughout Boxing history have used to their advantage, which unfortunately leads to underwhelming returns when a fight like this happens and almost always is not a fight that benefits the sport. As such, I decided to take a “Wait And See” approach to this fight as both Brook and Khan have suffered severe knockouts in their careers and, despite the credentials each man brought into the ring, I wondered what we were likely to see between two fighters, whose best years may indeed be behind them.

 

To my surprise, the bout turned out to be more exciting than I had anticipated with both fighters seemingly being willing to stand and go toe to toe from the opening bell. While this was competitive for a brief time, it did not take long before the harder punches of Brook began to take effect as the bout quickly evolved from a toe to toe battle to frankly a one-sided beating as the taller and stronger Brook stalked Khan and administered significant punishment that as the fight progressed. This resulted in Khan gradually throwing less and less punches and being in what is often referred to throughout all combat sports as “Survival Mode.” As the punishment continued with little to nothing coming back from Khan, the fight was stopped in the sixth round. Although Khan was not knocked off his feet, the stoppage of this fight was the appropriate call to make as it could have developed into a serious situation from one fighter being allowed to take punishment that they should not be allowed to take. While some of the tragedies that have occurred throughout the sport’s history are accidental, more often than not, tragedies occur when fights are allowed to continue past when they should be stopped.

 

Fortunately for Amir Khan, good judgment was implemented by Referee Victor Loughlin and Khan was able to leave the ring before possibly suffering a serious injury. Even though some may be tempted to say that Kell Brook is right back in the mix off of this victory, I feel it is appropriate to say that he simply did what he needed to do and will wait to see what he decides to do coming out of this fight before I offer a further comment because frankly, there is not much one can say about a fight that evolved within a round into a one-sided beating. There is not much analysis one can offer nor is there much that can be said to speculate about the victor’s future plans. The one thing that can be said however, is perhaps Amir Khan should consider retirement with all of his faculties intact before he gets seriously hurt.

 

 

This leads us to the final fight that will be covered in this month’s edition of Jabs and Observations that featured a former world champion that is perhaps most likely to fight for a world championship than the aforementioned previous three former world champions. I am speaking of undefeated former WBO Jr. Middleweight world champion Jaime Munguia, who returned to the ring also on February 19^th to face fellow undefeated contender D'Mitrius Ballard in a Middleweight bout in Munguia’s hometown of Tijuana, MX. This was a fight that was actually scheduled to take place twice over the last year, but was changed due to Ballard suffering injuries while training for the bout. This resulted in Munguia scoring victories over Kamil Szeremeta and Gabriel Rosado respectively even though Ballard did return to action in scoring a ten round decision over Paul Valenzuela on the undercard of Munguia’s fight with Rosado last November.

 

In what was Munguia’s fifth bout as a 160lb. Middleweight, the third time proved to be the charm as Ballard finally got his chance against one of Boxing’s hottest rising stars. Unfortunately for Ballard, a native of Temple Hills, MD, his first chance on a marquee stage in the sport did not go well. Although Ballard started off well in the first two rounds of the fight and was able to hold his own as well as have moments of success occasionally, Munguia, a fighter known for his punching power made that power known beginning in the second round when he was able to land a left hook that appeared to land on the temple of Ballard and momentarily stunned him. In round three, the two fighters engaged in some heated exchanges of offense with Munguia getting the better of the action. It would be midway through the round when Munguia would catch Ballard with a lunging, but flush left hook to the chin that set off a barrage of punches and sent Ballard down on his stomach on the canvas.

 

Ballard was very “Game” in being able to beat the count, but appeared as though he was disoriented and seemed to look to his corner. As Ballard was able to beat the count and allowed to continue, Munguia pressed forward with a barrage of unanswered punches that forced the fight to be stopped. After what ended up being a tougher fight than some had expected against Gabriel Rosado last November, Munguia showed in this fight that he does still have the punching power at 160lbs. to end fights quickly if the opportunity arises as he had done as a 154lb. Jr. Middleweight.

 

As for what is next for Jaime Munguia, it should be noted that he looked as if he struggled to make the 160lb. Middleweight limit for this fight against D'Mitrius Ballard. Munguia is currently rated number one in the world by the World Boxing Organization (WBO) in the Middleweight division. The current WBO champion, Demetrius Andrade, appears to be eying a move up to the 168lb. Super-Middleweight division to hopefully entice a potential showdown against current Undisputed world champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. In perhaps an unintentional segue on this observer’s part, much of the big story that has occurred outside of the ring in recent weeks has centered squarely on Alvarez and a possible two-bout agreement with promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing, Andrade’s current promoter, which would see Alvarez return to digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN for two fights against undefeated WBA Light-Heavyweight world champion Dmitry Bivol in a temporary return to the 175lb. Light-Heavyweight division where he held the WBO world champion in 2019, and if he were successful, a long awaited third encounter between Alvarez and two-time Middleweight world champion Gennady Golovkin, who would subsequently move up eight pounds to challenge Alvarez for his Undisputed Super-Middleweight world championship.

 

While nothing has been announced as of this writing, it does not come as a surprise to yours truly that Alvarez would return to a broadcast platform in DAZN that has broadcast most of his bouts dating back to an initial $365 million agreement between the network, himself, and his then promoter Oscar De La Hoya. Although the business relationship between Alvarez and De La Hoya eventually soured and led to a lawsuit between Alvarez, the promoter, and the network, which resulted in the dissolving of that agreement, Alvarez remained with the network on a fight by fight basis for three more bouts before venturing to the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) banner for his completion of the unification process for his bout with then IBF Super-Middleweight world champion Caleb Plant last year.  While that bout, which was broadcast on Showtime Pay-Per-View here in the United States did better compared to what several other pay-per-view events before or since have done in terms of buys, and that can be attributed directly to Alvarez’ status as the top marquee draw in the sport, it is not surprising to see that he would return to a platform in DAZN where he is likely to make more money on a guaranteed basis compared to the pay-per-view model, as well as renewing a relationship with Hearn, who he developed a solid working relationship with in the aftermath of his split from De La Hoya and Golden Boy Promotions. It is also worth noting that the well-publicized lawsuit between Alvarez, De La Hoya, and DAZN, likely had it’s roots between tensions between Alvarez and De La Hoya rather than with Alvarez and the network.

 

What this could all mean for a fighter in Munguia’s position being promoted by De La Hoya, who also recently extended his broadcast agreement with DAZN could be two potential opportunities. The first would be the possibility of fighting for the vacated WBO Middleweight world championship should Demetrius Andrade vacate and move up to 168lbs. to chase a fight with Alvarez. Option two, would be if he cannot make the 160lb. Middleweight limit any longer, that Munguia himself would move up to 168lbs. where a potential fight with Alvarez or perhaps Gennady Golovkin if he chooses to stay at Super-Middleweight, assuming the third fight against Alvarez comes to fruition, would be a significant draw and would each probably sell out a soccer stadium in Mexico. In short, there are no shortage of opportunities for Alvarez against fighters currently aligned with either Eddie Hearn, Oscar De La Hoya, and DAZN and if Alvarez were to remain with the network beyond the rumored two-fight deal, there would also be no shortage of opportunity for those fighters who are looking to secure a fight with Alvarez and might lead to a mass exodus of top contenders and world champions in the 160lb. Middleweight division as there are always fighters who regardless of promotional ties, or network affiliation, are always looking for greener pastures.

 

It may simply or perhaps not so simply depending on one’s perspective, come down to whether or not Alvarez and De La Hoya are willing to put their differences aside if a potential fight is available for Munguia and whether fighters who are competing under the PBC promotional banner and on different networks will seek bouts with Alvarez. Even if it means doing so outside of their promotional banner, which unfortunately, rival promoters have shown in the past to put their interests ahead of the fighters they represent. The bottom line folks is the circumstances of what Saul Alvarez does next will continue to dominate the Boxing landscape and news cycle at least until something is formally announced and fighters in three weight divisions from Middleweight to Light-Heavyweight are all waiting to see what he will do. Although it is a cliché, the only advice this observer can offer to his readers is “Stay Tuned.”

 

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

 

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

 

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison

 

 

Is Munguia Ready For Middleweight World Title Shot?

 

The Middleweight fight between undefeated former WBO Jr. Middleweight world champion Jaime Munguia, current top rated Middleweight contender and former Middleweight world title challenger Gabriel Rosado was eagerly anticipated from the moment the scheduled November 13^th clash was announced. The obvious reason for this is you had two fighters that are known as offensive-minded boxers with one, Munguia, being a noted as a feared “Knockout Artist.”

 

While it is indeed true that Munguia entered the bout against Rosado having scored knockouts in thirty of his thirty-seven career wins including three straight knockouts since moving up from the 154lb. Jr. Middleweight division to the 160lb. Middleweight division, like most fighters who are able to garner a reputation for scoring quick knockouts, he had not been tested in his career and with potential title shots looming, it was logical to wonder if the veteran Rosado would be able to provide that tesy for him.

 

In Gabriel Rosado, Munguia faced what amounted to the very definition of a seasoned professional fighter. Rosado a veteran of forty-one bouts going into this fight and had earned a reputation for his willingness to fight anyone regardless if the circumstances were such that he stepped into fights on short notice and/or viewed as a significant underdog depending on his opposition. Rosado however, had developed a bit of a career resurgence after aligning with Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach in dropping a disputed split decision to former IBF Middleweight world champion Daniel Jacobs in November of last year and then scoring what many feel is a candidate for Knockout of the Year when he knocked out previously undefeated highly touted prospect Bektemir  Melikuziev in June of this year. A fight where Rosado got up from a knockdown in the first round before knocking Melikuziev out cold with a single counter punch in the third round.

 

Despite the thrilling nature in which that knockout occurred, Rosado still had a hard luck reputation as well having lost thirteen bouts in his career. While it was understandable that he would again be put in position as an underdog going into this fight, Rosado had shown significant improvement under Roach's guidance and thanks to his performance against Melikuziev, had also shown an ability to end a fight suddenly if given the opportunity.

 

It was certainly not surprising to see Munguia attempt to establish a quick pace from the outset when the two fighters met at the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA. The question this observer had however, was one that can be split into two parts. Would Rosado be able to handle fighting at such a high pace and if so, could he potentially find a way to use Munguia’s aggression against him?

 

One aspect of Rosado's approach that I noticed early on that I felt worked well for him was the periodic use of his jab and what appeared to be a strategy based on trying to land offense to Munguia’s body. While at not point at least in the first half of the fight did Rosado come close to matching Munguia's output, I did feel the strategic approach as well as setting up counter punch opportunities would show more success as the fight progressed.

 

Furthermore, I felt that if Rosado could land offense to Munguia’s body more than occasionally, Munguia’s pace would decline in the middle and later rounds. Rosado was able to execute some effective counter shots particularly in being able to snap Munguia’s head back with his right hand periodically throughout the twelve round bout, but as the fight progressed, he gradually got away from both using his jab and did not attempt to go to the body with consistency throughout. This allowed Munguia to maintain control of the combat in what was an exciting fight albeit lopsided victory for Munguia on the scorecards in earning a convincing twelve round unanimous decision to move his record to 38-0, with 30 Knockouts.

 

While at the end of the day, Munguia simply did what he needed to do in scoring a victory, he was also put to the test by Rosado who gave him a hard fight for all twelve rounds. Although Rosado simply did not throw often enough and was not able to score knockdowns throughout the fight, which could have made a difference in the scoring of the fight, he did succeed in testing Munguia’s chin and Munguia did pass this test. The question now becomes is Munguia ready to challenge for a world championship in 2022?

 

This observer believes that Munguia is ready and could be a likely opponent for the winner of upcoming world championship bouts including undefeated WBO world champion Demetrius Andrade, who will defend his title on November 19^th against top contender Jason Quigley seeing as he is currently the WBO number one contender, or a potential opponent for the winner of the December 29^th unification bout between IBF/IBO world champion Gennady Golovkin and WBA world champion Ryota Murata. Obviously, there is at least speculation at this point that if Golovkin is successful in that bout against Murata that a possible third bout between he and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez is on the table, which would see Golovkin move up eight pounds to the 168lb. Super-Middleweight division to challenge the recently crowned undisputed world champion Alvarez for the crown. Based on this, I believe the more logical scenario for Munguia at this point would be to wait for the Andrade-Quigley winner to emerge and seek an opportunity against that winner.  From a business perspective, a fight between the Andrade-Quigley winner and Munguia seems like it would be straightforward to make seeing as both Andrade’s promoter Eddie Hearn, and Munguia’s promoter Oscar De La Hoya have not only regularly worked together to co-promote fights as they will be with Andrade-Quigley, but also both are aligned with global digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN, which would likely welcome what would be another marquee attraction for their network. One must also keep in mind that Andrade has been clamoring for a marquee opponent and if he should retain his championship over Quigley, would likely welcome the opportunity to fight someone of Munguia’s caliber and growing popularity in the sport.

 

For now, it is simply a process of waiting for Jaime Munguia. Boxing fans can only hope that as the world continues to deal with the impacts of the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic that more marquee fights that will have significant interest will be in the works for 2022. One such bout would be Munguia challenging the Andrade-Quigley winner.

 

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

 

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

 

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison