WBC interim super middleweight champion David Benavidez wasn’t impressed with Jaime Munguia’s ninth-round TKO win over John Ryder (32-7, 18 KOs) on Saturday night, saying he would be an “easy” victory for him against Munguia.
Taking a shot at Munguia probably won’t work for Benavidez to anger him enough to where he’ll agree to fight him.
In an interview last Friday, Munguia was asked if he’d be willing to fight the elite super middleweights, like Benavidez or David Morrell, if he doesn’t get the Canelo Alvarez fight in May, and he wouldn’t commit to fighting either of them.
Benavidez’s Challenge
“This is an easy knockout. That’s why they ducked me,” said David Benavidez on social media, talking about Munguia being an easy win for him.
It’s reasonable to assume that the well-managed Munguia won’t accept the challenge from Benavidez to face him because he’s being maneuvered for the Canelo payday.
Some believe that’s what some believe is the whole purpose behind Munguia’s career. Match him against weaker opposition, build a glittering record, and then lure Canelo into fighting him for that giant, life-changing payday..
If Munguia wants to prove Benavidez wrong, he’ll accept his challenge to show that he’s not someone that he can score an “easy knockout” against and that he’s not going to duck him like he says he did.
Choosing Ryder over Benavidez is a weak move because there’s no comparison between the two. Even if Ryder were young, he’d still not be in the same league as the “Mexican Monster.”
Benavidez (28-0, 24 KOs) is going to be hopping mad if Munguia gets the fight against Canelo Alvarez next on May 4th on Amazon Prime PPV because that’s the match that he’s been working hard to get, beating Demetrius Andrade and Caleb Plant in 2023 to earn the shot the hard way.
In contrast, Munguia had an easier road to Canelo, with his win tonight against the 35-year-old Ryder and last June against 38-year-old Sergiy Derevyanchenko. Those two are not on the same level as Plant and Andrade.
Munguía Makes a Statement
Munguia (43-0, 34 KOs) certainly looked like the real thing tonight, batting the overmatched veteran Ryder around the ring all night, knocking him down four times before his corner threw in the white towel of surrender in the ninth round to have the contest halted.
Ryder was dropped twice in the ninth and looked like he needed saving. ‘The Gorilla’ Ryder didn’t have that punching power, size, or ring IQ to win, and he made Munguia look better than he was.
