Jaime Munguia’s proposed fight with Nikita Zon is the easy option his team wanted for the Canelo Alvarez undercard, according to Dan Rafael, who criticized the matchup while mandatory challenger Bek Melikuziev remains waiting.
Rafael said Bek was willing to face Munguia on October 31 in Riyadh. In his account, the challenger’s availability was never the obstacle. Munguia’s team was looking elsewhere despite the WBA having ordered the mandatory defense.
“They were looking for an easy type of fight,” Rafael said to Big Fight Weekend. “There was about four different names that were sort of in the mix all this time, and not a single one of them was like a top contender.”
That is the strongest objection to Munguia–Zon. Rafael’s criticism goes beyond Zon being unfamiliar to most viewers. He argues that an available mandatory challenger is being passed over while Munguia gets an opponent whose record offers little evidence of success against established contenders.
Rafael acknowledged that Bek has appeared in some poor fights, but said he had earned his position through the WBA’s system. A challenger does not need to be a television favorite for an ordered title shot to be enforced.
WBA president Gilberto Mendoza offered Rafael a response that leaves the proposed defense unresolved.
“They may have announced it, but we have not approved it yet,” Mendoza told him, according to Rafael.
An announcement does not establish WBA approval. However, Rafael doubts Mendoza will prevent the title defense from going ahead. He cited previous situations in which the organization initially denied approving a fight before it eventually proceeded with the belt involved.
The next decision belongs to the WBA. It can require Munguia to honor the mandatory order or explain any exception that allows Zon to take Bek’s place.
Simply repeating that approval has not been granted leaves Bek waiting while the announced matchup gets promoted. Mendoza’s response needs to lead to a ruling with consequences. Otherwise, Munguia’s team gets the opponent it wanted, and the challenger who followed the WBA’s rules gets another delay.
