Canelo Alvarez vs. Jaime Munguia was announced today for May 4th on Amazon Prime and DAZN PPV. This is the fight that PBC wanted, so now they’re getting their wish. It’ll be interesting to see if it sells because it’s not the one the U.S. boxing public wanted.
PBC wanted this all-Mexican blockbuster, but it is questionable whether it will bring in the PPV buys they’re hoping for. Is it too much to ask for Canelo to fight a true talent like David Morrell Jr. or David Benavidez?
A Long Time Coming, But Undeserved
Munguia (43-0, 34 KOs) has been after this fight since he first turned professional 11 years ago, and, surprisingly, he’s getting it without having fought been tested with a trial-by-fire type match to earn it properly.
He’s only fought twice at 168 against the old guys Sergiy Derevyanchenko (38) and John Ryder (35). When you see a fighter backing into a mega-payday after beating lesser opposition, it’s wrong.
The Right of Passage Denied
At the very least, Munguia should have had to fight one of these three to earn the Canelo payday instead of it being given to him after defeating two fossils [Derevyanchenko & Ryder] from the Mesozoic era of the dinosaurs:
- David Morrell Jr.
- Caleb Plant
- David Benavidez,
Canelo-Munguia will be staged at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Pre-sale tickets for the event go on sale this Thursday.
“It’s great to give an opportunity like this to a fighter that’s earned it like Jaime has,” said Canelo.
What is Canelo talking about? Munguia hasn’t come close to earning a fight against Canelo, as he’s not fought any of the killers that he should have to earn it the proper way. Even when Munguia was fighting at 154 and 160, he circumvented the top guys by failing to fight these fighters:
Janibek Alimkhanuly
Jermall Charlo
Gennadiy Golovkin
Demetrius Andrade
Jermell Charlo
Munguia could have fought all of those fighters during the past 11 years but didn’t. If he had fought them and beaten them, you could say that he at least partially had earned a fight against Canelo, but you can’t say that because his best career wins have come against 38-year-old Derevyanchenko and 35-year-old Ryder. That’s sorry.
Munguia: “I’m very, very happy…”
Of course, he is. Let’s be real here. Munguia gets a monstrous payday against Canelo without risking his hide against the Big Three: Morrell, Benavidez, and Plant.
“I’m very, very happy and filled with enthusiasm for this great opportunity,” said Munguía. “I’m incredibly grateful to everyone involved who were able to make this fight a reality. I can’t wait to demonstrate to the world that I am capable of doing great things.
Undercard Speculation
There’s no word about who is fighting on the undercard, but IBF welterweight champion Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis is rumored to be defending against Cody Crowley. If that turns out to be true, it’s a decent match.
It’s not the one fans want to see between Boots and Terence Crawford, but that fight isn’t going to happen. Terence is holding out, waiting for Canelo to bless him.