It’s now official: Canelo Alvarez will defend his four super middleweight titles against fellow Mexican fighter Jaime Munguia on May 4th on PBC on Amazon Prime and DAZN PPV at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The reaction that Canelo (60-2-2, 39 KOs) and his manager/trainer Eddy Reynoso may have thought they would get from the public is the complete opposite. The timing of this fight is so awful that you have to wonder whether Canelo, Reynoso, and PBC had any foresight to know the public’s reaction to this match.
Instead of fans praising this move, the public is criticizing this as another cherry pick, choosing a punching bag [Munguia (43-0, 34 KOs) with an inflated resume, viewing it as a classic duck job of the guy that Canelo should be fighting, David Benavidez.
Did PBC and Canelo Miscalculate?
Al Haymon and PBC may have overestimated the interest in a fight between Canelo and Munguia because this is not the fight that the overwhelming amount of fans in the U.S. are clamoring for.
People wouldn’t mind seeing Canelo fight Munguia in a redemption-level match after he faces Benavidez and loses to him. Using Munguia as a confidence-builder would be tolerated.
Canelo choosing Munguia makes him look cowardly in the eyes of the public, and that’s not a good thing for him or PBC, who are counting on this match doing well on PPV. It won’t, especially with the split event on Amazon Prime and DAZN.
The Ennis Undercard: A Silver Lining
On a positive note, the May 4th undercard for Canelo-Munguia could have IBF welterweight champion Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis potentially defending against his mandatory Cody Crowley.
While that’s far from a great fight, it still gives boxing fans a chance to see what many view as the heir apparent to Terence Crawford as the #1 fighter in the welterweight division in unbeaten Boots Ennis (31-0, 28 KOs).
Ennis wanted to challenge Crawford for his titles, but the Nebraska native and his trainer Brian ‘BoMac’ McIntyre have been cool to face him, viewing the young talent as “bringing nothing to the table.”
Some would say that’s a selfish move on the 36-year-old Crawford’s part, not giving the young lion a chance to prove himself and take the baton from him.
Crawford realizes that if he faces Boots and loses, his chances of getting a golden parachute payday against Canelo will go out the window once and for all.
