Canelo Alvarez returns to the ring on Saturday DAZN pay-per-view from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, where he will defend his undisputed 168-pound championship against Jaime Munguia.
The Mexican superstar was scheduled to face reigning 160-pound champion Jermall Charlo. When that fight proved impossible, however, he turned to his young, undefeated compatriot to create what he called “a big party for Mexico.”
Experts and fans have many questions about Alvarez, Munguia as well as the pair about to enter the match. Here are five of them:
How good is Canelo Alvarez at this stage of his career?
Excellent. The same experts who once elevated the Mexican superstar to the top of the pound-for-pound list began recounting his decline following his unanimous decision loss to reigning 175-pound champion Dmitry Bivol in 2022 and his performance performed unevenly against opponents Gennadiy Golovkin and John Ryder in his match. next two matches. It’s reasonable to wonder if more than 60 professional fights have exhausted him. However, after his surgically repaired left wrist healed, he looked more like the old Alvarez in his outfit. unanimous decision victory over 154-pound champion Jermell Charlo last September. That’s right, Charlo moved up two weight classes for the fight, which limited the weight of the victory. At the same time, Alvarez (60-2-2, 39 KOs) was not a 168-pounder and Charlo was a 168-pounder in his prime at the time they met. It’s safe to say that Alvarez’s victory is a step in the right direction. And, assuming he stays healthy, there’s no reason to believe he won’t be strong against Munguia even if he’s no longer the fighter he once was. Alvarez, one of the best fighters of his generation, remains dangerous.
How good is Munguia?
Lots of good things. The jury was still out on Munguia (43-0, 34 KOs) as recently as early last year. The 27-year-old Tijuana resident has had a flashy record and has won the 154-pound title – which he won by stopping Sadam Ali in 2018 – but he hasn’t faced the cards. necessary tests to clearly determine your abilities. That arguably changed in his last two fights, a hard-fought unanimous decision over the smart, experienced Sergey Derevyanchenko last June and a Ryder’s ninth round knockout seven months later. He has yet to face a heavyweight but he has made strong statements in those fights. He is still a fiery, powerful fighter and has improved as a boxer, although he can still take a beating. And he appears to be thriving under new coach Freddie Roach, who made his debut in Munguia’s corner against Ryder. Indeed, Munguia seems to be reaching his peak both physically and mentally. Is he good enough to defeat one of the best fighters of his generation? Sure is not. Oddsmakers have Alvarez at around 5-1. However, he is an underdog. Remember: We almost certainly saw the best of Alvarez while Munguia was on the rise. Keep stable.
Is this a historic war?
Absolute. If Alvarez collects his 61st the victory, as expected, would not make significant waves. Observers will argue he was the beneficiary of another poor outing because of Munguia’s perceived limitations. If Munguia wins? That would turn the boxing world upside down, especially if the underdog makes a one-sided decision or does the unthinkable by stopping the future Hall of Famer. Alvarez has been on the pound-for-pound list for more than a decade. A loss would be convincing evidence that he has begun to fade. He dominated Mexican boxing during the same period. Saturday’s fight could be seen as a passing of the torch, perhaps like the transition from Julio Cesar Chavez to the great trio of Marco Antonio Barrera, Juan Manuel Marquez and Erik Morales. And of course, Alvarez is no longer considered the face of boxing. That difference will carry over to a young, fresh fighter, perhaps Gervonta Davis or Shakur Stevenson or even Ryan Garcia. That’s right, if Munguia finds a way to win on Saturday, the sport won’t be the same as it has been for the past decade.
What happens after this war?
Good question. If Alvarez wins, the passionate calls for him to finally face David Benavidez will be heard immediately. Yet, for whatever reason, he doesn’t seem to want what is arguably the biggest fight possible against him. Plus, Benavidez has moved up to 175 pounds, at which point he will fight Oleksandr Gvozdyk on June 15. Alvarez could face him at 175 or a catchweight if he makes them I was surprised and pursued that match at this time. If not Benavidez? Perhaps Jemall Charlo will re-emerge as a viable candidate to face Alvarez. David Morrell and Edgar Berlanga are also potential enemies, although it will be difficult to get excited about the latter. And Alvarez could go after Bivol-Artur winner Beterbiev on June 1. He will always have options as long as he keeps winning. If Munguia raised his hand? A rematch is possible if it’s not a loss. And Alvarez will deserve a second chance. Or, if that doesn’t happen, Munguia will have the leverage to become the undisputed champion. He could fight Benavidez or Charlo or anyone else mentioned above, whoever he and his team think is the best opponent. That comes with taking down an established star.
Who will be the winner?
Alvarez. I believe an Alvarez at 85-90% would be too much for Munguia, who, again, is a good fighter but not one with the skill or opponent experience of Alvarez. Perhaps Munguia will continue to improve enough in another training camp with Roach that he can outbox the champion who only throws one punch, somehow avoids his biggest shots and sneaks away with a close decision. Maybe he can hurt Alvarez, although even a puncher as good as Triple-G couldn’t do that in three fights. Or maybe Alvarez is truly in decline and Munguia is catching him at the right time, which could open the door for an upset. Those are all possibilities. However, we are talking about probability here. Alvarez will most likely do what he has done against so many other capable opponents, starting slow, gradually closing the gap on Munguia, landing more powerful punches as the fight progresses, causing Munguia collapsed and won a one-sided decision on points, a late knockout. That would probably be my prediction against anyone except Benavidez, Bivol or Beterbiev. I think Alvarez will stop Munguia in the final rounds.
