Jaime Munguía Next Fight Update: April Return Targeted Amid Super Middleweight Shake-up

Fernando Sabatini, the Argentine commentator, has indicated that Jaime Munguía is no longer expected to return in January and is instead being steered toward an April 2026 fight date. The shift lines up with an unsettled super middleweight division that remains without a settled competitive order.

Sabatini said the delay is connected to ongoing changes in the super middleweight title picture following the retirement of Terence Crawford. Crawford announced his retirement on December 16, 2025, after defeating Saul Canelo Alvarez for the undisputed championship at 168 pounds.

The belts moved, the calendar followed

Crawford’s exit triggered automatic elevations and provisional rulings. Armando Reséndiz has already been elevated to full champion status, while other organizations have begun sketching out eliminators and interim pathways. None of those outlines has hardened into a confirmed order.

Munguía has not fought since May 2025. Entering 2026, he remains ranked among the leading contenders without an opponent, date, or mandatory designation. Sabatini’s reporting suggests Munguía is being aligned with a high-level fight tied directly to the revised title structure, though no sanctioning body has yet issued a formal directive.

Mbilli, Sheeraz, and the unissued orders

Earlier discussions linked Munguía to a possible early-year fight against Christian Mbilli. That bout never reached contract stage. Another name circulating in sanctioning conversations is Hamzah Sheeraz, though no negotiations have been confirmed and no eliminator has been approved.

From a structural standpoint, the division is paused between administrative steps. There is no announced eliminator, no mandatory position assigned, and no approved timetable for Munguía’s return. Any April date remains conditional on sanctioning body rulings and promoter alignment rather than training-cycle preference.

What the paper trail suggests next

Sanctioning schedules point to another round of ranking updates later this quarter. Those updates are expected to clarify mandatory positions and eliminator requirements as promoters finalize early-2026 planning. Until those rulings are published, Munguía’s position stays defined by ranking status alone, not by obligation or opportunity.

Absent an order, Munguía remains active only on paper, positioned among the division’s top contenders while the belts settle