Written by Miguel Maravilla
Mexican superstar and undisputed super middleweight world champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (60-2-2, 39 KOs) of Guadalajara will face fellow Mexican former world champion Jaime Munguia (43-0). (43-0) in the Cinco de Mayo weekend showdown. 34KO in Tijuana). The Mexico showdown will be broadcast live on Prime Video's PBC pay-per-view event from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, May 4th. Canelo expressed his utmost respect for Munguia, who officially announced the fight on Tuesday afternoon.
“This fight is a great pride for me because it's all about Mexico. With our style, it's going to be a great fight for Mexican boxing. The fans will be the winners. Cinco de Mayo weekend will be in Las Vegas ,” Alvarez said.
Coming off a one-sided decision, Canelo successfully defended his undisputed title last fall by obliterating Jermall Charlo in 12 rounds, knocking him down in the process and winning a unanimous decision.
“It was a good win. I was in control the whole fight. Defending the undisputed title is very important to me,” Canelo said of his last title defense.
After months of speculation about who Canelo's next opponent will be, Alvarez has decided to name Munguia as his May 4 opponent.
Canelo said of his decision to face Munguia: “Jaime Munguia is someone I respect and he's a great fighter who won this fight.”
Canelo had just defeated his twin brother, and the list of names for the May 4 bout also included WBC middleweight champion Jermall Charlo. Munguia's name was then added to the sweepstakes. There was talk of a fight with Edgar Berlanga, but the fight everyone asked for was Canelo vs. Benavidez.
“He brings nothing to me. The only thing Benavidez brings to the table is more than 25 pounds on fight day.”
As a result, the boxing world and avid fans are beginning to believe that Canelo may be avoiding a showdown with undefeated former world champion David Benavidez. Is Canelo avoiding Benavidez? When asked during the kickoff press conference on Tuesday afternoon, Canelo replied:
“You don't have to prove anything to anybody. This fight with Jaime Munguia, you have to respect that. You guys want Golovkin, Callum Smith, Billy Joe Saunders and… Don't forget that he was,'' Canelo said of Benavidez.
When a fellow reporter asked Canelo if he had been offered a contract to fight David Benavidez, Alvarez replied:
“He is not in a position to offer me a contract or money.”
Although Alvarez has said he doesn't like fighting Mexicans, Munguia is from Tijuana, a border town in northern Mexico that was the site of the Mexican showdown.
“As I said before, I don't like fighting Mexican fighters, because I represent my country with pride. Munguia has earned the right to fight me. I did,” Canelo said. “Eventually, there will be some critics who will never be satisfied.”
His opponent, Munguia, made his presence felt in 2018 by stopping Saddam Ali to win the WBO super welterweight title. After successfully defending his title, Munguia moved up to middleweight and competed in the weight class. Munguia, who moved up to super middleweight, defeated the tough Sergiy Derebeyanchenko last summer to earn a decision victory. Munguia scored a stunning stoppage of John Ryder earlier this year to earn him a fight with Canelo.
“Mungia is a smart fighter who is disciplined and hits hard. He is a power puncher and I like a challenge. He is a fighter who can give the fans the show they deserve,” Canelo said of Munguia.
Canelo will now begin a training camp in Lake Tahoe with longtime trainer Eddie Reynoso in preparation for Jaime Munguia.
“Jaime Munguia is a fighter, so we have to train him 100 percent. He's a tough, determined fighter,” Canelo said heading into his next camp. “We know what's going to happen on May 4th,” Canelo concluded.
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