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By: Sean Crose
It’s hard to imagine that Jaime Munguia, at just 27 years of age, has already engaged in a total of 43 professional fights. Perhaps even more difficult to imagine is the fact that Munguia has yet to lose a single bout. While many fighters with perfect records are either on their way up the ladder or simply refusing to challenge themselves, Munguia has proven himself to be a warrior. Sure enough, the Tijuana native’s 2023 fight against Sergey Derevyanchenko was one to be remembered, a thriller that saw Munguia truly rise to the occasion by pulling out a win thanks to a 12th round knockdown.
But that, of course, isn’t all. For this Saturday in Las Vegas, Munguia will challenge the one and only Canelo Alvarez for Canelo’s undisputed super middleweight championship. While he certainly isn’t favored heading into the weekend, it might be ridiculous to write Munguia off as easy work for future Hall of Famer Canelo. There’s that lengthy record, after all. Plus there’s the fact that Munguia will be walking into the ring with a considerable height and reach advantage over the defending champion. Throw in the fact that he’s considerably younger than Canelo and a surprise Munguia win on Saturday might not end up being that surprising.
Still, this is Canelo we’re talking about here, a man with a whopping record of 60 wins, 2 losses and 2 draws. Those two losses, coupled with one of those two draws, came from the best in the business: Floyd Mayweather, Gennady Golovkin, and Dmitry Bivol respectively. What’s more, Canelo has more or less taken on all other comers and proven victorious. Miguel Cotto, Sergey Kovalev, Caleb Plant, and others have all fallen victim to the gloved fists of the red haired star. Word around the boxing campfire, however, is that the 33 year old Canelo is now starting to slip.
That may or may not be true, but – even if he is in decline – there’s no denying that Canelo is one of the best active fighters in the world today. He’s patient, has a good chin, possesses a strong defense, can ravage his opponent with body blows, and knows better than anyone how to close the show. It will be interesting to see him in action against Munguia, a fighter who has the power to take out a wall, the heart to keep himself going in the heat of battle, and some effective ring skills to boot. It can’t be denied that fans want Canelo to face the ferocious David Benavidez, but that doesn’t mean Saturday’s fight between him and Munguia isn’t worth being intrigued by.
Images: Golden Boy
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