Canelo vs. Munguia Preview
The T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada will host a night of dynamic fights on Saturday, May 4th. Two title fights and two interim title fights will be on a card headlined by a showdown for the undisputed super middleweight championship between champion Canelo Alvarez and former light middleweight champion Jaime Munguia.
Alvarez (60-2-2, 39 KO) has won three straight fights since unsuccessfully challenging for the WBA (Super) light heavyweight title against Dmitry Bivol in 2022. He most recently defeated Jermell Charlo by unanimous decision in September to retain his super middleweight titles.
The Mexican fighter has found himself embroiled in a conflict with former promoter Oscar De La Hoya. The two had a heated back and forth at Wednesday’s press conference where De La Hoya was supposed to be promoting Munguia, but instead used the opportunity to take shots at Alvarez.
Alvarez said of De La Hoya, "If I hadn't involved my lawyers, you would steal [money] from me," Alvarez told De La Hoya. "The only thing this man does is be a scourge of boxing. Steal from boxers. For whoever is with him, please contact your lawyers, because he is surely stealing from you. It's the only thing he comes to do in boxing,” he said.
"And the only thing he comes to do is steal attention from Jaime Munguia," Alvarez said, "he doesn't come to promote him."
As far as how Alvarez feels about the fight. "I'm so anxious to come Saturday night and just win in a fashionable way," Alvarez said.
The press conference was the first time Canelo and De La Hoya have been on a stage together, despite Alvarez having fought eight times since parting ways with the promotion. Is this the type of energy Canelo needs before a big fight with a younger proven champion?
Alvarez is in the top 10 pound for pound fighters in the world, a list where he once found himself at the top. The 33-year-old has already had an illustrious career with key victories over Gennady Golovkin (twice), Caleb Plant, Billy Joe Saunders, Sergey Kovalev, Daniel Jacobs, Miguel Cotto, Austin Trout, Shane Mosley and Kermit Cintron.
With a win Canelo will have plenty of options as far as his next fight goes. Names such as David Benavidez and Jermall Charlo have been thrown around. But what the boxing world truly needs to see is a showdown with pound for pound number one, Terence Crawford. Alvarez will not have an easy fight with Munguia, so he cannot overlook his fellow countrymen.
Munguia (43-0, 34 KO) is coming off a ninth round TKO over John Ryder in January. He is the former WBO light middleweight champion having won the belt at just 21 years of age. He defended the belt five times with key wins over Dennis Hogan, Takeshi Inoue and Liam Smith. He will without a doubt be facing the toughest test of his career on Saturday.
The Mexican fighter has shown Alvarez plenty of respect leading up to the fight. “I have nothing against Canelo; he has never done anything to me,” Munguia said. “I think we’re both categorized as two very respectful fighters.
“You’re going to get to see the action inside the ring, that’s the most important thing. It will be a great, exciting fight. It’s a fight where you’re going to see a lot of punches landed, and there will be great action for the fans.”
Munguia continued to talk about Alvarez and fighting at super middleweight. “Canelo is a very experienced fighter who has fought in many world championship bouts,” he said. “You have to watch out for everything. He can box, he can fight inside, he can fight in the middle of the ring.
“I feel great at 168. To be honest with you, I was having trouble making 160, and now, at 168, I feel right at home — fits like a glove. I’m using my youth and my vigor to get stronger every day. I’m training as hard as I can to be ready for May 4.”
Is he ready for a battle? “It’s going to be something great, something momentous for my career and for the fans who will be watching” said Munguia. “I can’t wait and I’m really excited.”
Also on the card is a fight for the WBC interim featherweight title between champion Brandon Figueroa and challenger Jesse Magdaleno.
Figueroa (24-1-1, 18 KO) won the belt in his last fight by unanimous decision over Mark Magsayo last March.
The 27-year-old is the former WBA (regular) and WBC super bantamweight champion, and he defended the WBA belt five times. Aside from Magsayo, he has key victories over Luis Nery and Moises Flores. He will have the opportunity to prove his championship value with a win over another former champion on Saturday.
Magdaleno (29-2, 18 KO) is trying to rebound from a loss by unanimous decision to Raymond Ford last April. He is the former WBO junior featherweight champion and defended the belt once. The 32-year-old can now can be a champion once again but will have his hands full with Figueroa.
A third title fight will be highlighted as Mario Barrios will defend his WBC interim welterweight title against Fabian Andres Maidana.
Barrios (28-2, 18 KO) won the belt in his last fight with a unanimous decision victory over Yordenis Ugas in September. He is also the WBA (Regular) super lightweight champion.
Maidana (18-1, 13 KO) will be fighting for the first time since 2021 where he won by unanimous decision victory over Carlos Cordoba. The 31-year-old has been sidelined by injuries and Covid, but will be fighting for his first major title on Saturday.
The fourth and final title fight will be for the WBA (Regular) welterweight title between champion Eimantas Stanionis and challenger Gabriel Maestre.
Stanionis (14-0-1, 9 KO) has not fought since April of 2022, but he won the belt with a split decision over Radzhab Butaev. The Lithuanian scored the biggest victory of his career in his last fight but will now face a different challenge in Maestre who is on a mission to win a title while he still has time.
Maestre (6-0-1, 5 KO) is coming off a second round TKO over Travon Marshall last August. The 37-year-old had an extensive amateur career where he represented Venezuela in two Olympic games. He will now have the chance to prove he is a championship caliber professional boxer.
