Canelo Alvarez Turns Away Jaime Munguia, Retains RING and Undisputed 168-Pound Championship
The only thing that Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez couldn’t do was make good on his guarantee of a knockout.
He didn’t really need to, on a night where the four-division champion reminded the world why he is among the sport’s all-time greats. Guadalajara’s Alvarez dropped countryman Jaime Munguia in the third round en route to a unanimous decision victory. Scores were 117-111, 116-111 and 115-112 for the reigning RING and undisputed 168-pound king atop a PBC on Prime/PPV.com Pay-Per-View event Saturday evening at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
“I feel very proud for this kind of fight here in Vegas,” Alvarez said after the win. “All of the world was watching us, the Mexicans. I feel so proud to represent Mexico. Viva Mexico, cabrones!”
The first all-Mexico undisputed championship clash in more than 50 years saw Munguia enjoy an early lead. He took advantage of Alvarez’s traditional slow start and controlled the opening round largely on the strength of his jab. Alvarez threw just eleven punches in the first three minutes but never rattled and fought with confidence that he would quickly turn the tide.
True to form, Alvarez went to work in round two. Munguia stuck with what worked in the opening frame but Alvarez was able to land in combination. A body shot earlier set up the attack by the defending champion. Munguia responded with a bushel of punches, most of which were blocked.
Munguia went with straight volume in the third. It was always his best—if not only—shot at an upset and he seized his moment in the final 90 seconds of the round. Alvarez’s stellar defense picked off most of the incoming and countered a left hook with a right uppercut. Munguia rode it out and drove Alvarez to a corner where he connected with a clean combination.
Reality would soon set in, however.
Alvarez delivered the lone knockdown on the night. Munguia left his chin exposed long enough to get clipped with a right uppercut. The sequence sent down the unbeaten Tijuana native for the first time in his career.
“I take my time, I have a lot of experience,” noted Alvarez. “Jaime Munguia is a great fighter. He’s a strong, smart fighter. I took my time, I have twelve rounds to win the fight and I did. I feel proud about it.”
Munguia beat the count but was never able to rediscover his early rhythm.
Meanwhile, Alvarez grew increasingly accurate in his economic approach. Munguia continued to throw more punches but Alvarez landed more and at a much higher percentage.
Alvarez connected with a double left hook at the start of the sixth. Munguia attempted to respond but missed with most of his punches. A similar pattern played out in the seventh, as Munguia’s punches lacked steam.
Momentum shifted in round nine. Munguia connected with a right hand and a left hook upstairs. Alvarez’s granite chin withstood the damage, though he was slowed later in the round by an inadvertent low blow. Munguia was warned for the infraction while Alvarez was cautioned by referee Thomas Taylor to not retaliate.
Alvarez slammed home a right hand to open the tenth round. It was a brutal reality check that Munguia was suddenly reduced to a puncher’s chance. It wasn’t going to happen in a fight where his power did not have any real effect.
Munguia let his hands go in the eleventh round. Most missed the mark once again, though his activity resonated with the judges. The final scores gave credit to Munguia’s punch output, although he landed at a much lower percentage. Alvarez (61-2-2, 39 knockouts) landed 234-of-536 total punches (43.7%), including nearly half of his power shots (151-of-304, 49.7%).
The only thing Alvarez could not deliver in the end was a knockout. Instead, he goes the distance for the fifth straight time.
Munguia (43-1, 34 KOs) suffered both his first knockdown and lone defeat, albeit in a valiant effort. He previously held the WBO 154-pound title before he vacated late in 2019.
All his fights from January 2020 onward have taken place at middleweight or higher. Saturday marked his third straight at super middleweight. His previous outing was the 2023 Fight of the Year, when he defeated former title challenger Sergiy Derevyanchenko last June 10.
The plan is to stick around at the weight, and perhaps all the wiser even in defeat.
“Honestly, I thought I was winning the early rounds but then I got caught in the fourth,” noted Munguia. “Aside from that moment, I was never hurt. He has a lot of experience and is an amazing fighter.
“This was a great learning experience for me [Saturday] night.”
The fight was Alvarez’s first versus a fellow Mexican since his May 2017 win over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in this venue. It was also his first to involve Golden Boy Promotions since his bitter split from the company in 2020.
Golden Boy co-promotes Munguia. Company co-founder and chairman Oscar De La Hoya played up to the bitter feud. The Hall of Fame former six-division champion antagonized Alvarez throughout fight week. The two traded harsh insults during Wednesday’s press conference and had to be separated on stage.
When all was said and done, De La Hoya continued to offer support for Munguia.
“I though Jaime fought an excellent fight,” De La Hoya told reporters during the post-fight press conference. “He did it against the current face of boxing. I take nothing away from Canelo, I’ve always said he’s a good fighter in the ring.
“But this experience for Jaime will take him to another level. It’s just like with Canelo and Floyd Mayweather. Canelo got schooled and then he became the face of boxing. It’s the same for Jaime.”
Alvarez made the seventh defense of his RING super middleweight championship and at least two alphabet titles. It was his fourth defense of the undisputed championship, the most by any male fighter in the four-belt era.
Overall, Alvarez is 22-2 in major title fights spanning four weight divisions. His place is forever etched in history among the all-time greats and on the short list of best Mexican fighters of all time.
Just how high he is on that list, remains open to debate.
“I don’t consider myself the best fighter ever,” Alvarez humbly stated. “When I retire, I think my number is going to say where my position I am. But I am the best fighter right now for sure.”
His next fight will likely come versus unbeaten WBA mandatory challenger Edgar Berlanga.
The fight that the fans still want to see, however, is versus former two-time champ David Benavidez (28-0, 24 KOs).
Even in front of a crowd filled with his countrymen on Cinco de Mayo weekend, the 168-pound king couldn’t avoid public scorn over his noncommittal response.
“I don’t know right now. I just want to rest and enjoy my family,” Alvarez said in a response that triggered some boos. “But you know, if the money is right, I can fight right now. I don’t give a shit.
“At this point, everybody’s asking for everything. I fought Lara, Trout, Mayweather, Cotto, Gennadiy Golovkin, Billy Joe Saunders, Caleb
Jake Donovan a senior writer for The Ring and vice president of the Boxing Writers Association of America.
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