Jaime Munguia was in the right place at the right time as Jermall Charlo was ruled out of Canelo Alvarez’s expected opponent and the young Mexican, the next best option, was chosen to face his fellow superstar his on May 4 in Las Vegas.
Munguia’s mission now is to take advantage of this unique opportunity in his career.
“This is a great opportunity to show the world and show who I really am,” he told Boxing Junkie through an interpreter. “… What I want to show is that anything is possible.”
Munguia (43-0, 34 KOs) won the 154-pound title and compiled an incredible record but hadn’t had anything resembling a decision until last year.
That’s when he passed his toughest test, combining his ability with impressive tenacity to overcome the venerable Sergey Derevyanchenko on June 10. He then passed the test its most difficult. Take down the rugged John Ryder – who outpointed Alvarez – in nine rounds on January 27.
In two fights, the 27-year-old from Tijuana went from a boxer with considerable potential to a genuine threat to the best in the business.
Those wins also bolstered his resume, making him a more legitimate candidate to face the former pound-for-pound king in the most lucrative fight of his career.
“Those were great experiences facing great fighters,” Munguia said, referring to the fight between Derevyanchenko and Ryder. “Thanks to those experiences, I am what I am today.”
Munguia was particularly impressive in his match against Ryder, his first match under new coach Freddie Roach after parting ways with Erik Morales.
Morales did a great job with Munguia, honing his overall skills over the years. Roach seems to have taken him to a new level of effective – and destructive – aggression while still focusing on defense.
It was all against Ryder, who had been knocked down four times and was behind the scorecards when the match was stopped.
“I always try to improve, I always try to learn new things,” Munguia said. “… Growth and progress are evident. I think I’ve grown through each battle. And being around Freddie definitely helped me a lot.”
Of course, Alvarez (60-2-2, 39 KOs) is a significant step up against Derevyanchenko and Ryder.
The 33-year-old 168-pound champion suffered his first loss in a decade when he was eliminated by 175-pound titleholder Dmitry Bivol in May 2022 and looked out of form in his next two wins over Gennadiy Golovkin and Ryder .
However, Alvarez’s surgically repaired left wrist appeared to be fully healed as he easily outpointed Jermell Charlo on September 30. He looked a lot like the old champion in that fight.
Above all, Munguia admires Alvarez, who succeeded the great trio of Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera and Juan Manuel Marquez as the face of boxing in their country, a title he has in fact held. kept for about a decade.
Mungia admitted his respect for the man in an interview with Boxing Junkie. At the same time, he said, he has a job to do. And he expects to do just that.
“The bottom line is Canelo is my opponent,” he said. “He is the opponent I have to beat. What I’m ready to do is become world champion on May 4. … I’m different from the guys he beat.
“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 a shot at the top of the Mexican boxing hierarchy.
“I think [a victory] it would be a step to join that club,” he said, “to be part of that story.”
