Undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez looked steely confident during his face-off with Jaime Munguia at their kick-off press conference today at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas to promote their May 4th headliner on Amazon Prime and DAZN PPV.
Canelo (60-2-2, 39 KOs) started through the challenger Munguia (43-0, 34 KOs), looking at him in a way that suggested that he’s not worried about the threat the much younger volume puncher brings to the table to their fight.
Munguia has got the offensive style that is all wrong for Canelo, being a combination puncher, fighting at a fast pace, and possessing a high-volume offense.
Munguia’s Golden Ticket
“The confidence that he was able to stop someone a superstar [Canelo] couldn’t stop. That’s why we’re here. If Munguia had struggled against John Ryder, you can bet that he wouldn’t have got this ticket, the golden ticket, and that’s Canelo,” said Sergio Mora to DAZN Boxing, talking about the May 4th fight between Jaime Munguia and Canelo Alvarez.
Munguia’s performance against Ryder, a fighter that pushed Canelo to the limit, showed that he deserved the fight against him. He destroyed Ryder, stopping him in the ninth round last January in Phoenix.
Has Munguia Truly Evolved?
“He did that on the big stage, and he did it in fantastic fashion. He had Ryder down multiple times. That’s exactly what you need to do. Canelo didn’t do it. Munguia did it. That’s why we’re here.
“We see flashes of it,” said Mora when asked if Munguia has improved from the fighter he was a few years ago. “Every time he changes trainers from Erik Morales to Freddie Roach, we see flashes of it, but then he goes back to what he is.”
Munguia followed Roach’s instructions well against Ryder, and didn’t show the same flaws that he had in the past when he was leaving himself open to counters. Roach has changed Munguia for the better, and he looks good enough now to defeat Canelo.
“You are what you are. It’s character, and it comes out. When the going gets tough, you’re going to resort to what you were,” said Mora.
