Promoter Oscar De La Hoya hopes that Canelo Alvarez will choose to defend his undisputed super middleweight championship next against highly ranked Golden Boy fighter Jaime Munguia in May if he wins his January 27th clash against John Ryder.
De La Hoya maintains that Canelo vs. Munguia will be a “huge mega-fight,” and fans aren’t interested in that match-up. If Canelo faces Munguia in May, the fans will roast him because it would be an obvious example of him cherry-picking another easy mark.
The 28-year-old Munguia has an inflated ten-year resume, filled with lesser opposition, and he’s never faced any of the talented opposition in the three weight classes that he’s competed in.
Munguia (42-0, 33 KOs) is ranked #1 WBO and #2 WBC at 168, having fought only once in the weight class, squeaking by with a twelve round unanimous decision over 38-year-old Sergiy Derevyanchenko last June.
Munguia looked very poor in that fight and nowhere near the talented fighters in the 168-lb division, like David Morrell Jr., David Benavidez, and Caleb Plant. Choosing Munguia would be a step down in class for Canelo from his recent fights against Jermell Charlo and John Ryder.
The Opponents Fans Want For Canelo:
- David Benavidez
- Artur Beterbiev
- Dmitry Bivol
- David Morrell Jr.
- Jermall Charlo
- Jai Opetaia
“It’s a real possibility, but I’m going to say this again that it’s up to Canelo. He picks his opponents,” said Oscar De La Hoya to Fighthype when asked if there’s a chance Canelo Alvarez could pick Jaime Munguia as his next opponent for May on Cinco de Mayo.
Munguia still needs to prove himself by beating these guys first before Canelo looks his way: 1. David Morrell Jr. 2. David Benavidez 3. Jermall Charlo.
“Imagine Munguia knocking out John Ryder [on January 27th], who went the distance with Canelo. That’s a pretty good statement there,” said De La Hoya. “Look, I think it’ll [Canelo vs. Munguia] will be a huge mega-fight, I really do.
“I think Canelo-Munguia will be huge, but first thing is first. First, Ryder and then Canelo have to decide, and he holds all the cards, and we respect that. One thing about Canelo is history shows, he’s fighting top guys, taking all the challenges.
“I might have criticized him a bit because I had a thorn in my side because he decided to work with another promoter. So, if he picks Benavidez or Munguia, which I would advocate towards because we haven’t seen a Mexican-Mexican fight championship at the elite level [in ages],” said De La Hoya.
