By Kenneth Friedman: Jaime Munguia (36-0, 29 KOs) kept his unbeaten winning streaking alive with a sixth-round technical knockout on Friday night against Tureano Johnson (21-3-1, 15 KOs) at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California.
Munguia was had his hands full until he cut Tureano with an uppercut that tore up his upper lip in round six. Just looking at the condition of Johnson’s lip in the round, it was predictable that the catch was going to be halted after the round ended.
It wasn’t the best way for Munguia to win the fight because he didn’t show that he was a better fighter. Munguia’s promoters at Golden Boy probably won’t give Johnson a rematch, which isn’t good for their fighter. This wasn’t an impressive performance by Munguia to get excited about him as the middleweight division’s next star.
The way Munguia fought, he’s not the next star. He’s someone that needs to be handled with kid gloves to make sure he doesn’t lose by facing someone with actual talent. Tonight’s fight was a situation with golden Boy matching Munguia against someone they were certain he could beat, but he might not have won if the cut hadn’t occurred.
The fight looked almost even at the end of the sixth, and there wasn’t enough to pick between the two. Tureano lost the sixth after he suffered the cut. But if not for that, he might have won the round and had the edge going into the seventh.
Munguia: I’m ready for a title shot at 160 pounds
“I felt good, but in the first round, he surprised me,” said Munguia after the fight. “I went to my corner, and they told me to try and adjust. They also told me to get my distance and not let him get too close.
“Little by little, that’s what we tried to do. Obviously, Tureano Johnson is a strong fighter, and he comes forward. It bothered me a bit to have him, but we adjusted the punches and continued with that plan.
“Yes, I see myself as one of the best at 160 pounds. So, yes, I would take a challenge against any of them,” Munguia said when asked if he’d like to fight Jermall Charlo or Demetrius Andrade.
“Charlo, it would be a more exciting fight with a bigger sow. It would lead to a more complicated fight with Andrade, but I would fight either of them.
“I was very anxious for this fight, and I really learned a lot from this fight. But with this, I’m ready for a title shot at 160 pounds,” said Munguia.
Golden Boy will have to decide if it’s time to let Munguia fight for a world title. Their best chance of getting Munguia a title shot is WBC champion Jermall Charlo. But it’s possible that Demetrius Andrade could vacate his WBO title, and that free it up for Munguia to fight Liam Williams or Kanat Islam for the vacant belt.
