By Huck Allen: WBC middleweight champion Jermall Charlo and #1 WBC contender Jaime Munguia are reportedly a done deal for June 18th. This is an excellent match-up that will likely be televised on Showtime PPV on that date. Next Tuesday, Charlo vs. Munguia is expected to be the official announcement for this huge fight.
Charlo (32-0, 22 KOs) and the former WBO junior middleweight champion Munguia (39-0, 31 KOs) will mix it up in this crucial fight that will determine which of the two faces undisputed 168-lb champion Canelo Alvarez in 2023.
Michael Benson and @Idecboxing are reporting the news of the Charlo vs. Munguia fight.
Recently, Munguia had been scheduled for a purse bid for a fight against Zhanibek Alimkhanuly for the WBO interim middleweight title.
That fight would have determined the next champion with the WBO, considering the current champion Demetrius Andrade is moving up to take on Zach Parker for the WBO interim 168-lb title in his next fight.
It’s believed that Andrade if he successfully defeats Parker, will stay at super middleweight and vacate his WBO 160-lb title. With Munguia pulling out of the purse bid, Zhanibek will fight the next highest-ranked contender in the WBO’s rankings. That would be Esquiva Falcao.
Munguia has really improved by leaps & bounds in the last two years, and he’s got the power and skills to dethrone Charlo, thanks to his trainer Erik Morales.
When Munguia held the WBO 154-lb title from 2018 to 2020, he was flawed and there were some who thought he would be easy work for the top fighters like Gennadiy Golovkin, Jermell Charlo, and his brother Jermall. Not anymore, though.
Munguia looks like the finished goods in his last three fights, defeating D’Mitrius Ballard, Gabe Rosado, and Kamil Szeremeta.
The unbeaten Munguia and Jermall Charlo share a common opponent in Juan Macias Montiel. While Munguia destroyed Montiel by a second round knockout in February 2017, Charlo struggled to defeat the same fighter by a 12 round unanimous decision last June in Houston, Texas.
In that fight, Montiel staggered Charlo numerous times in the second half of the contest and had him looking ragged in the championship rounds.
For Canelo, it would be a sheer disaster if Jermall, 31, is picked off by Munguia because a Canelo-Charlo fight would create massive attention from U.S fans. Canelo has shown no interest in fighting Munguia in the past, and it’s possible that he’ll choose not to fight him if he’s victorious against Jermall.
That’s why it’s crucial that Charlo beats Munguia because that’s the guy that Canelo wants next year. Charlo will be the perfect setup opponent for Canelo to prepare for his mega-fight against unbeaten #1 WBC contender David Benavidez in September 2023.
Canelo should have gone in that direction this year instead of choosing the two-fight deal from Matchroom Boxing & DAZN to face Dmitry Bivol on May 7th and Gennadiy Golovkin on September 17th.
Munguia, 25, will be taking his first actual test since moving up to the middleweight division in 2020. The unbeaten, highly popular Mexican knockout artist Munguia has fought five times since moving up in weight two years ago, and he’s now ready to challenge for a world title.
Munguia has unfairly taken a lot of criticism from boxing fans for his slow progress to challenging for a world title at 160, as WBO middleweight champion Demetrius Andrade and his promoter Eddie Hearn. They wanted Munguia to agree to the fight this year, but he’s chosen to continue to get acclimated to the 160-lb division.
The fight that Munguia and his promoters at Golden Boy Promotions want is against IBF middleweight champion Gennadiy Golovkin because that would be a massive one for the young Jaime.
Golovkin is busy in 2022, facing WBA champion Ryota Murata in April, and then Canelo on September 17th.
