Canelo Alvarez isn’t underestimating what unbeaten challenger Jaime Munguia will present him in the title defense of his undisputed super middleweight championship in the May 4th contest in Las Vegas.
Alvarez (62-2-2, 39 KOs) acknowledges that Munguia (43-0, 34 KOs) brings a lot of power and throws a lot of punches. For those reasons, he’ll be a formidable opponent when the two fight on Amazon Prime and DAZN PPV at the T-Mobile Arena.
Munguia’s last fight against John Ryder in January showed that he’s a threat to Canelo with the way he destroyed the British fighter in nine rounds to end his career in Phoenix.
Canelo had been forced to go the full 12-round distance against Ryder last May in a fight that was tougher than many had predicted it would be.
Of course, we don’t know if the Ryder that Munguia fought was the same version that Canelo battled. Ryder took a lot of punishment in his loss to Canelo.
Also, he packed on a lot of unnecessary muscle for his clash against Munguia, which didn’t help him. He was slower, more robotic and that seemed to impact his performance. Physically, Ryder looked nothing like the fighter that had fought Canelo.
Canelo Values Respect, Expects a Fierce Battle
“He has a lot of power, and he throws a lot of punches. He’s a good fighter. We’re going to see after May 4th,” said Canelo Alvarez to the media about his May 4th opponent, Jaime Munguia.
Munguia is arguably the best fighter that Canelo has fought since his loss to WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol in 2022. He can do everything that Bivol did in terms of throwing combinations and outworking him with his volume punching.
“I love boxing, and I love fighting. So, that’s why I’m here,” said Canelo, reacting to being told that he’s made enough money to retire.
“It’s important to be respectful because the fighters that talk a lot of things, they come into the fight, and they’re scared,” said Canelo when asked how important it is that Munguia is respectful.
“I like this kind of fight because I know it’s going to be a great fight. I don’t like that kind of person, but I feel comfortable because it’s in my land, not his land,” said Canelo on his thoughts on Golden Boy promoter Oscar De La Hoya being on stage with him.
