On Saturday night, January 27th, live on DAZN, undefeated super-middleweight contender Jaime Munguia is scheduled to face the former WBO Interim super-middleweight titlist John Ryder (32-6, 18 KOs) at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona.
(Photo credit: Golden Boy Promotions/ Cris Esqueda)
The last time the British boxer John Ryder competed inside the squared circle, he lost via unanimous decision to the undisputed super-middleweight champion. Now that Jaime Munguia is about to fight Ryder, some people are wondering, is Munguia’s upcoming bout an audition for the Canelo fight?
The undisputed super-middleweight champion, Canelo Alvarez, has went on record stating he plans on fighting in his usual Cinco de Mayo slot. Canelo has a fight date, but he doesn’t have an opponent. With a win over John Ryder on January 27th, Munguia will put himself in a position to fill that void.
A native of Tijuana, Mexico, Jaime Munguia made his pro boxing debut back in July 2013 when he defeated Manuel Mora by way of 2nd round TKO. Five years later, Munguia captured his first world title when he beat Sadam Ali and won the WBO junior-middleweight strap.
After making five successful title defenses, Jaime Munguia decided to vacate his world title and move up to the middleweight division. Munguia went 7-0 as a middleweight, and once again, he decided to step up in weight and compete as a 168-pounder.
In his first fight as a super-middleweight, Munguia faced 37-year-old Sergiy Derevyanchenko back in June 2023. The bout was a very entertaining battle as both boxers were able to land hard, clean shots. Throughout the fight, Derevyanchenko experienced a lot of success as he hurt Munguia on multiple occasions.
With two minutes to go in the 12th round, Jaime Munguia landed a body shot that resulted in Derevyanchenko taking a knee.
Derevyanchenko survived the knockdown, and as the fight continued, Munguia finished the round by landing a flurry of shots.
The bout between Munguia and Derevyanchenko was an entertaining, action-packed battle.
At the conclusion of 12 rounds, Munguia outpointed the Ukrainian boxer Derevyanchenko by the scores of 115-112, 114-113, and 114-113.
Ranked number two by the WBC and number one by the WBO, 27-year-old Jaime Munguia’s January 27th bout is the equivalent of a high-stakes contest. If he wins, he may become the frontrunner for the lucrative Canelo fight, but if he loses, then Munguia and his team will be forced to go back to the drawing board.
The undefeated super-middleweight contender Jaime Munguia (42-0, 33 KOs) doesn’t have a signature win on his resume. A victory over John Ryder would be significant due to the fact that Ryder was competitive when he fought Canelo Alvarez.
The boxing public wants to see a Canelo Alvarez vs David Benavidez Cinco de Mayo matchup, but unfortunately, that’s not going to happen. Alvarez is willing to fight anybody not named David Benavidez, and if Jaime Munguia is able to defeat John Ryder, that victory could earn Munguia the opportunity to fight for the undisputed crown.
