Saúl Canelo Álvarez, a prominent figure in contemporary boxing, defeated Jaime Munguía on Saturday. He retained his undisputed super middleweight champion title in front of 20,000 fans. Fans were captivated by the two Mexican boxers.
Despite Munguía's challenges in the first three rounds, Álvarez came back in the fourth and took over the ring in Las Vegas (United States).
The judges awarded Álvarez the win with scores of 117-110, 116-111 and 115-112 in an electrifying match at T-Mobile Arena. With this victory, Álvarez ended Munguía's undefeated streak, marking the first time in six years that Álvarez faced a fellow Mexican boxer in the ring.
The fighter from Guadalajara came close to sealing the victory with the knockout, a feat he had been aiming for since 2021.
Munguía "is a great boxer, he is tall, he is smart," Canelo said in the ring. "I could have finished the fight earlier, but I took my time. That's why there are 12 rounds to see who is the best, I don't want to make mistakes," stressed Canelo. "I know there are many great Mexican fighters in the past, but I am the best fighter right now," he said.
Canelo es hoy el mejor boxeador del mundo y sin ninguna duda ocupa algun puesto del top 10 de la historia pic.twitter.com/Y0GTz6m1oA
— Emiliano Sordi (@emilianosordiOK) May 5, 2024
De la Hoya recognizes Canelo
At 33 years old, Canelo was eager to secure a big victory after some lackluster performances since his unexpected setback against Dmitry Bivol in 2022, when he ventured into a higher-weight category.
Canelo has maintained his status as the undisputed super middleweight champion (168 pounds) since defeating Caleb Plant in November 2021, which was his most recent decisive victory.
In response to calls for him to face David Benavidez, another rival of Mexican rival and former super middleweight champion, Canelo stated that he is open to facing any opponent but on his own terms.
"I fought against everyone who asked me (...) I am in the position to do what I want," he said. "If the money is enough, I can fight right now," said Canelo, who reached 61 wins (39 by knockout) with 2 ties and 2 losses.
The standout feature of the evening was the divided support from the crowd, with a significant portion backing Munguía, who is from the Tijuana border in the northwest. They hoped to witness a generation atop Mexican boxing by challenging the reigning champion of the WBO (World Boxing Organization), WBA (World Association), WBC (World Council) and IBF (International Federation).
Six years younger and four inches taller than the champion, Munguía approached the fight with a bold strategy and the confidence derived from his 43 previous victories, 34 of them by knockout. "I think he was winning the first rounds but he is a very experienced fighter," he admitted. "Maybe I got a little desperate wanting to get the points back and get into the fight and he took advantage of it."
Former world champion Oscar de la Hoya, Munguía's promoter, praised his performance and predicted he would have a similar outcome as Canelo after his initial loss to Floyd Mayweather in 2013. "Canelo received a lesson and then became the face of boxing," he said.
De La Hoya became an unexpected focal point of this fight during the pre-fight press conference when he got into a heated exchange with Canelo, whom he had promoted for a decade until their publicized split in 2020. "Canelo had a good fight, nothing should be taken away from him. I have always respected Canelo in the ring," said De la Hoya, who was accused by Canelo of financial misconduct and stealing from his fighters.
