Jaime Munguia was in the right place at the right time when Jermall Charlo fell out as Canelo Alvarez’s expected opponent and the young Mexican, the next best choice, was selected to face his superstar countryman on May 4 in Las Vegas.
Munguia’s mission now is to take advantage of what could be a once-in-a-career opportunity.
“This is a great opportunity to show the world and show myself who I really am,” he told Boxing Junkie through a translator. “… What I want to show myself is that anything is possible.”
Munguia (43-0, 34 KOs) had won a 154-pound title and built a gawdy record but hadn’t had anything resembling a defining fight until last year.
That’s when he overcame his stiffest test, combining his ability with impressive grit to outpoint the respected Sergey Derevyanchenko on June 10. He then knocked out rugged John Ryder – who had gone the distance with Alvarez – in nine rounds on Jan. 27.
In two fights the 27-year-old from Tijuana went from a boxer with considerable potential to a bona fide threat to best in the business.
Those victories also bolstered his resume, which made him a more legitimate candidate to face the former pound-for-pound king in by far the most lucrative fight of his career.
“They were great experiences against great fighters,” said Munguia, referring to the Derevyanchenko and Ryder fights. “Thanks to those experiences I got to where I am today.”
Munguia was particularly impressive in the Ryder fight, his first under new trainer Freddie Roach after splitting with Erik Morales.
Morales did a good job with Munguia, honing his overall skills over the years. Roach appears to have taken him to the next level in terms of effective — and destructive — aggression while keeping defense in mind.
It all came together against Ryder, who went down four times and was well behind on the scorecards when the fight was stopped.
“I always try to improve, I always try to learn new things,” Munguia said. “… The maturity and improvement are evident. I think I’ve grown fight by fight. And being alongside Freddie certainly has helped me a hell of a lot.”
Of course, Alvarez (60-2-2, 39 KOs) is a significant step up in opposition from Derevyanchenko and Ryder.
The 33-year-old 168-pound champion suffered his first loss in a decade when he was outpointed by 175-pound beltholder Dmitry Bivol in May 2022 and didn’t look sharp in two subsequent victories, over Gennadiy Golovkin and Ryder.
However, Alvarez’s surgically repaired left wrist seemed to be fully healed when he easily outpointed Jermell Charlo on Sept. 30. He looked a lot like the champion of old in that fight.
On top of that Munguia has great admiration for Alvarez, who succeeded the great trio of Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera and Juan Manuel Marquez as the face of boxing in their country, a de facto title he has held for around a decade.
Mungia acknowledged his respect for his elder in an interview with Boxing Junkie. At the same time, he said, he has a job to do. And he expects to do it.
“The bottom line is that Canelo is my rival,” he said. “He’s the opponent I have to beat. What I’m ready to do is become world champion on May 4. … I’m different from the opponents he has defeated.
“First of all, I’m undefeated. I’m also very hungry. I’m eager to keep winning. I want to stand out and be among the best.”
That could include taking his place atop the heap in Mexican boxing hierarchy.
“I think [a victory] will be a step toward joining that club,” he said, “being a part of that story.”
