By Dan Ambrose: Undefeated middleweight contender Jaime Munguia will be headlining against former 160-lb world title challenger Sergiy Derevyanchenko in a twelve-round fight TONIGHT LIVE on DAZN at the Toyota Arena in Ontario, California. The event begins at 8:00 ET/5:00 p.m. PT.
If Derevyanchenko (14-4, 10 KOs) has anything left in the tank at 37 years old and many grueling battles, he’s got a shot at beating Munguia (41-0, 33 KOs), who is easy to hit and has been hurt in a number of his fights against lower-level opposition.
Derevyanchenko’s losses:
- Gennadiy Golovkin
- Carlos Adames
- Danny Jacobs
- Jermall Charlo
Many boxing fans felt Derevyanchenko deserved the win in his fight against Golovkinn in 2019. He hurt Golovkin in the body and would have knocked him down if not for the referee standing behind GGG when he was nailed by Derevyanchenko.
WHAT TIME IS MUNGUIA VS. DCHENKO?
- Date: Saturday, June 10
- Time: 8 p.m. ET / 1 a.m. BST
- Main event ringwalks (approx): 11 p.m. ET / 4 a.m. BST
- The card will stream live on DAZN in over 200 countries across the globe
- The fight will take place at the Toyota Arena in Ontario, California.
- The main card begins at 8 p.m. ET / 1 a.m. BST with the main event ringwalks scheduled for 11 p.m. ET / 4 a.m. BST.
The Munguia-Derevyanchenko contest is supposed to be the “biggest test” of 26-year-old Munguia’s 10-year professional career. Still, considering that Derevyanchenko has lost four out of his last six fights, it’s challenging to take that view seriously.
While Derevyanchenko might be the toughest test of Munguia’s on paper, that reflects the weak match-making his promoters did on his behalf.
They should have stepped Munguia up against better opposition a long time ago rather than waiting a decade into his pro career before putting him in against a fading contender with a 2-4 record in his last six fights.
Munguia has been fighting exclusively bottom fringe-level opposition since moving up to 160 in 2020.
Although Munguia has had the chance to fight for a world title on three occasions against Jermall Charlo, Demetrius Andrade, and Janibek Alimkhanuly, he’s opted not to take advantage of the opportunities.
It’s believed by some boxing fans that Munguia has been holding on for a cash-out fight against Canelo Alvarez and/or Gennadiy Golovkin. Unfortunately, Munguia’s lack of quality opposition on his resume has bit him in the backside, resulting in him not getting either of those fights.
You can argue that if Munguia had been quality opposition his entire career, he would have gotten the fights he desired against Canelo and Golovkin. Of course, if he’d done that, he likely would have lost many times, and it wouldn’t get the fights against those stars anyway. Still, you never know.
Perhaps Munguia would have beaten the likes of Jermall, Andrade, Andrade, David Benavidez, Caleb Plant, Jermell Charlo, Tim Tszyu, and David Morrell.
“I am very excited to return to the ring and even more excited to face a fighter like Derevyanchenko,” said Munguia. “I think it will be a very intense fight from start to finish, but like always, we are training very hard and ready to give the fans an exhilarating battle.”
“Munguia has always wanted the toughest fights, and this is going to be one of them,” said Oscar De La Hoya, CEO and Chairman of Golden Boy Promotions. “Derevyanchenko has gone life and death with the division’s top middleweights for years and has always reached the final bell. Should Jaime get past him — and I believe he will — he is immediately in position for a world title shot.”
ERIC GOMEZ, PRESIDENT OF GOLDEN BOY PROMOTIONS:
“There are very few shows that get us excited, and I am happy to say that this is one of those fights that gets us excited, as promoters. I’m gonna say it right now: this is going to be ‘fight of the year.’
“These guys styles match up perfectly, and there’s going to be non-stop action on Saturday. I want to thank Keith Connolly and team Derevyanchenko for taking this fight. I know you had other opportunities, but you said ‘no, let’s do it.’ In reality, you know, Sergiy should be undefeated. Many can make the argument because he lost some really, really close fights against top fighters. The who’s who in boxing. So I want to commend you, and thank you. (To Derevyanchenko) I know you’ll bring your A-game.
“Munguia has been knocking on the door for a big fight. A lot of the other champions are making excuses and do not want to give him an opportunity. They have other plans. But Munguia keeps grinding, he keeps grinding, and he keeps winning, and proving to the world that he belongs on the main stage of boxing.”
BERNARD HOPKINS, HALL OF FAMER AND GOLDEN BOY PROMOTIONS PARTNER:
“Do not just look at this fight as just a fight; look at it as a fight to get to the next big fight, the next level that you might want in the future or now.
“There’s a lot of talent here on this stage, and I know from experience, that there are champions and legends brewing. But take it one step at a time. Throw punches, be smart, be safe, but put it all on the line because.”
FERNANDO BELTRAN, PRESIDENT ZANFER BOXING:
“It’s a real pleasure to be here in Ontario. This is a beautiful arena, Toyota Arena. We know it will be sold out because people know these two great fighters.
“Jaime is the pride of Mexico, and we are very happy to promote him and be with him since the beginning of his career. I am very excited to see him against the great fighter, Sergiy Derevyanchenko. He’s a great fighter, and everybody knows it. Everybody wanted to see him against Munguia in a battle like this one. I believe this is going to be a sensational fight, because our audience and all the people who are gonna be here are gonna be excited about seeing both these fighters.”
MUNGUIA – DCHENKO FIGHT CARD
- Jaime Munguia vs. Sergiy Derevyanchenko; Super middleweight
- Shane Mosley Jr. vs. D’Mitrius Ballard; Middleweight
- Mariana Juarez vs. Mayeli Flores; Women’s super bantamweight
- Ricardo Saddoval vs. Rocco Santomauro; Flyweight
- Jorge Chavez vs. Christian Lorenzo; Super featherweight
- Anthony Saldivar vs. Jerome Clayton; Light middleweight