Canelo Alvarez has selected Jaime Munguia (43-0, 34 KOs) as his opponent for May 4th on DAZN in Las Vegas. The undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo (60-2-2, 39 KOs) returns to Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing, giving them the Munguia fight as a present.
Fan Reaction: Mixed But Positive
Canelo split with PBC and is returning to Hearn for his fight against the unbeaten Munguia, which fans on social media are pleased about. They wanted to see Canelo face Munguia, who recently knocked out one of his former opponents, John Ryder, to put himself in position for this title shot.
ESPN Knockout reported the news of Canelo fighting Munguia, saying, “In the coming days, the completion of the fight is expected to be able to make an official announcement.”
Not the Dream Matchup
Munguia will give Canelo a tough fight, but he’s not the big name that fans wanted to see the Mexican superstar face. They wanted Canelo to defend against his WBC mandatory David Benavidez, but no offer was made.
Canelo’s manager/trainer, Eddy Reynoso, said the $55 million offer supposedly had been offered for that fight by Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) never took place. It’s unclear if that fight will ever take place without the Saudis’ involvement to make it financially viable for both fighters.
Munguia’s Calculated Rise
The 27-year-old Munguia has slowly been working his way to the Canelo fight since he turned professional in 2013. From the earliest portion of Munguia’s career, there’s been talk of matching him against Canelo, and some believe that he’s purposefully been kept away from talented oppoisition to get him to this moment for a cash-out payday.
Munguia’s best wins:
Dennis Hogan
Sergiy Derevyanchenko
John Ryder
Liam Smith
Tureano Johnson
Gary O’Sullivan
Gabe Rosado
Takeshi Inoue
Munguia has been matched similarly to Edgar Berlanga, and that’s the criticism that fans have about him. He didn’t fight these guys when he had a chance to:
Janibek Alimkhanuly
Demetrius Andrade
Jermall Charlo
If Munguia had fought those guys when the fights were offered to him, fans would have a more favorable view of him today. The hardcore boxing fans that follow the sport see Munguia and Berlanga as birds of a feather. In other words, two fighters have been matched carefully and moved around the killers that likely would have beaten them.