It’s no secret that Oscar De La Hoya and Canelo Alvarez are not the best of friends; the falling out between the two is common knowledge within the sport. And, at times, De La Hoya has been critical of the fighter he used to promote, with De La Hoya putting the boot in on occasion, whether it’s calling a Canelo fight boring or whether it’s predicting Canelo will lose his upcoming fight.
Now, via social media, De La Hoya has had a slight dig at Canelo by writing how we fans should not fail to tune in on January 27th to see unbeaten Mexican warrior Jaime Munguia “do what Canelo couldn’t do,” and that’s score a KO win over British warrior John Ryder. De La Hoya says we will see “the next Mexican superstar crowned” on January 27th when Munguia, 42-0(33), knocks out Ryder, 32-6(18).
“On January 27, the next Mexican superstar of the sport will officially be crowned,” De La Hoya wrote. “Whether it’s in person or at home [watching the fight] on DAZN, fans shouldn’t miss watching Munguia do what Canelo couldn’t do and knock John Ryder out.”
But will Munguia register the KO win over Ryder? And if so, will this really elevate the 27-year-old into superstar status? Firstly, Ryder is one tough guy, with the 35-year-old having been stopped just once, this by Nick Blackwell way back in May of 2015. Secondly, as good as a stoppage win over “The Gorilla” would be for Munguia, it would not be enough to see him surpass Canelo as Mexican’s current boxing king.
In time, as good as he is and as exciting to watch as he is, Munguia may become a real star, and of course, Canelo is not going to be around forever. But De La Hoya is jumping the gun here. Again, Ryder is one tough hombre, and the January fight is, as De La Hoya says, unmissable stuff. It could prove to be the first great slugfest of the new year. But a Munguia win, though he is the favorite, is no certainty.
Canelo did indeed have to go all 12 rounds against Ryder, this in May of this year, and we should not be surprised if Munguia has to go all 12 rounds to defeat Ryder also, if Munguia does actually get the ‘W.’ A stoppage win for Munguia would be a pretty big statement, but not enough to see him overtake Canelo in the fame and stardom stakes.
Or maybe you disagree with me and fully agree with Oscar?
