Canelo Álvarez Defeats Jaime Munguía by Unanimous Decision to Retain Undisputed Super Middleweight Championship

Posted on May 5, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez is celebrating Cinco de Mayo with a win…

The 33-year-old Mexican professional boxer, one of the sport’s biggest stars, defeated Jaime Munguía in an all-Mexican battle on Cinco de Mayo weekend before 17,492 at T-Mobile Arena to retain his undisputed super middleweight championship.

The boisterous, surprising support for Munguia was swiftly extinguished with a patented Alvarez combination, a left hook followed by a right uppercut that planted the challenger on the canvas for the first knockdown of his 44-fight career.

Alvarez’s fourth successful defense of his four 168-pound titles was made official via scores of 115-113, 117-110 and 116-111. This was the third consecutive fight that Alvarez (61-2-2, 39 KOs) scored a knockdown. He also dropped Jermell Charlo and John Ryder in decision wins last year.

“I’m very proud that all the Mexicans are here watching us,” Alvarez, ESPN‘s No. 4 pound-for-pound boxer, said. “… He’s a great fighter. He’s strong, he’s smart. … But he’s a little slow. I can see every punch. Sometimes he got me because I get so confident. … I did really good and I feel proud about it. … I’m the best fighter right now for sure.”

Munguia, the former junior middleweight titleholder, was competing on the elite level of the sport for the first time. And he no doubt acquitted himself well. The 27-year-old from Tijuana fought with passion and showed an improved jab in his second fight with Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach.

The pressure and aggression of Munguia was effective over the first two rounds, but Alvarez eventually timed his opponent, as he usually does. “I take my time,” Alvarez said. “That’s why I have a lot of experience. … I have 12 rounds to win the fight and I did.”

Munguia (43-1, 34 KOs) won three rounds unanimously: the opening frame along with Rounds 3 and 9. He boxed well, but his punches never appeared to have enough pop to gain Alvarez’s respect.

Àlvarez has typically turned Cinco de Mayo weekend into a marquee attraction in the boxing world. He’s used the date as the platform for his wins over John Ryder, Billy Joe Saunders and Daniel Jacobs in recent years.

It was also the date for his loss to Dmitry Bivol in 2022.

Another strong performance from Àlvarez is good for the star and it’s good for the sport of boxing. He remains one of the sport’s biggest draws and there are still some big fights to make for him.

Specificially, a rematch with Bivol would be one of the biggest fights the sport could make right now.

However, there could be other matters for him to attend to in his current weight class that would prevent a move up.

The WBA recently named Edgar Berlanga a mandatory challenger.

Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) would be a viable candidate to see Canelo next, but there’s more money to be made with a potential matchup against rising star David Benavidez or a rematch with Bivol.

Àlvarez recently noted that he’s open to a fight with Benavidez in an appearance on First Take with ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith.

“We’ll see, why not? If the money is correct, why not? I can fight him Saturday night, too,” Álvarez said in the lead-up to this bout.

Regardless of who winds up being next, it’s clear that Canelo can still be the king of his division right now.

Canelo Alvarez to Fight Jaime Munguia in Las Vegas in May

Posted on March 9, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

May the Fourth be wih Canelo Alvarez.

The 33-year-old Mexican boxing superstar has finalized a deal to fight Jaime Munguia on May 4 fight at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas for Alvarez’s undisputed super middleweight championship.

It’s a one-fight deal for Alvarez and Premier Boxing Champions, sources said, after the sides parted ways last week with two bouts remaining on a three-fight agreement signed last June.

It’s a coup for PBC to welcome Alvarez, boxing’s top star, back into the fold for its second pay-per-view offering as part of its new partnership with Amazon‘s Prime Video.

DAZN, the streaming service that has an exclusive deal with Golden Boy Promotions, will also carry the event.

Munguia’s past 12 fights were streamed by DAZN. The 27-year-old Mexican fighter has been co-promoted by Zanfer and Golden Boy.

“On May 4, I’ll be fighting Jaime Munguia at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas,” Alvarez posted on social media. “Mexico vs. Mexico!”

Munguia (43-0, 34 KOs) is coming off a career-best win, a ninth-round TKO of John Ryder in January. He has steadily improved under the guidance of Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach.

Now, Munguia will represent Alvarez’s first Mexican opponent since Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in 2017. Munguia is rated No. 4 by ESPN at 168 pounds.

Alvarez, ESPN’s No. 4 pound-for-pound boxer, was lined up for a championship defense against Jermall Charlo in May. However, Alvarez and PBC couldn’t agree to terms for the matchup, which contractually allowed him to explore other options.

Alvarez (60-2-2, 39 KOs) discussed a return to DAZN for bouts with Munguia and Edgar Berlanga this year, but when those talks stalled the champion returned to the table with PBC, sources said.

Alvarez plans to fight on Mexican Independence Day weekend in September as well.

Alvarez defeated Jermall’s twin brother, Jermell Charlo, via unanimous decision in September to retain his undisputed super middleweight championship as he kicked off the PBC partnership.

When the deal was signed in June, Jermall Charlo was lined up as the first opponent before he ultimately withdrew because of personal matters. Jermell stepped in, while Jermall and Errol Spence Jr. loomed as possibilities for the second and third bouts of the deal. That was before Spence was TKO’d by Terence Crawford in a one-sided beatdown in July, eliminating one viable opponent for Alvarez.

Then in November, Jermall failed to impress in a decision win against Jose Benavidez Jr. The bout was Charlo’s first in 29 months. It’s a big event any time Alvarez fights, but there was little commercial demand for a matchup with another Charlo after Jermell’s listless performance in September.

With an Alvarez-Charlo fight less appealing for May, the door opened for what promises to be a far more lucrative matchup with Munguia. Alvarez has been the sport’s top attraction since Floyd Mayweather Jr. retired in 2017.

The all-time great’s résumé includes a pair of wins over Gennadiy Golovkin and titles in four weight classes. His win over Charlo was preceded by a decision victory over Ryder in May in Mexico. Alvarez scored knockdowns in both fights.

The biggest potential fight out there for Alvarez remains a matchup against rising star David Benavidez.

“The reason why this fight is not happening is because Alvarez doesn’t want it to happen, plain and simple,” David Benavidez told ESPN last week.

PBC’s stable also includes star boxer Gervonta Davis, who is set to return vs. Frank Martin this summer. PBC’s first event with Prime Video will take place March 30 in Las Vegas, a pay-per-view headlined by Keith Thurman vs. Tim Tszyu.

Jose Ramirez’s Bout Against Viktor Postol Could Finally Happen This Summer

Posted on June 6, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

The third time could be the charm for Jose Ramirez…

The bout between the 27-year-old Mexican American boxer and WBC and IBF junior welterweight champion and mandatory challenger Viktor Postol, twice postponed this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, is now expected to take place this summer, according to Top Rank promoter.

The fight is expected to take place in the first or second week of August, according to Top Rank, but the date would be contingent on Postol getting into the United States from his native Ukraine, where he’s currently training.

Vadim Kornilov, Postol’s manager, said he’s been trying to expedite Postol’s journey to the U.S.

“We have a reserved ticket for him on Monday. We’ve just been a little bit delayed because of the protests,” Kornilov said, referring to the protests that have been taking place across the U.S. in the aftermath of George Floyd‘s death. “We wanted to see that quiet down before we bring him here to the States. It looks like he’s good to enter with no issues.”

Postol (31-2, 12 KOs) once held the WBC 140-pound title. He typically trains under Freddie Roach in Los Angeles, but all gyms in the city are currently closed.

“We definitely have to wait for restrictions to be taken off as far as the quarantine of the gym and Freddie returning, but in my opinion, that should happen pretty soon,” Kornilov said. “Until then, the plan is for Viktor to just start training at a private gym we can find locally and get back into shape, and then wait for the restrictions to be taken off.”

While Top Rank’s June and July schedule in the States will take place exclusively at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas, Ramirez’s manager, Rick Mirigian, who has helped market and promote Ramirez into one of the biggest regional draws in the sport in Fresno, California, is hoping to bring this fight to California’s Central Valley.

”I’m preparing options for Top Rank for California, a casino and an arena,” Mirigian said. “I’m going to prepare those options for them to consider.”

Mirigian has had numerous meetings with venues as well as discussions with Andy Foster, the executive officer of the California State Athletic Commission, in the hopes of staging cards with a limited number of spectators. The Save Mart Center in Fresno is Mirigian’s priority, but he declined to disclose what casino he’s also pursued.

“That is the goal — to have some sort of a California audience with the bare minimum. A small ‘studio’ show, which could be Ramirez’s family, some key sponsors, etc. Keep it small,” said Mirigian, who also reiterated that these events would still have social distancing regulations and mandatory masks in the venue.

Ramirez will be relieved just to get back into action and satisfy this fight against his mandatory challenger. If the fight takes place in August, Ramirez will have been out of the ring for more than a year.

His most recent bout came against Maurice Hooker on July 27, 2019. Since then, he has had his sights set on a fight against Josh Taylor, who has the other two major belts at junior welterweight.

Cotto Soundly Defeats Sergio Martinez to Win the Middleweight Championship

Posted on June 8, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a win “four” the history books for Miguel Cotto…

The 33-year-old Puerto Rican professional boxer, in what ESPN calls “an absolute tour de force,” won the middleweight championship of the world and made boxing history on Saturday night by stopping Sergio Martinez in the 10th round at Madison Square Garden.

Cotto scored four knockdowns — three in the first round — in a remarkably dominant performance. After he dropped Martinez in the ninth round, Martinez was still on his stool when trainer Pablo Sarmiento would not let him continue, and referee Michael Griffin stopped the bout six seconds into the 10th round.

The largely Puerto Rican crowd of 21,090, who were mostly there for Cotto on the eve of the annual Puerto Rican Parade in New York, erupted in cheers.

With the overwhelming victory, Cotto made the Puerto Rican history that was his motivation for taking the fight — to become the first boxer from the island to win world titles in four weight classes.

Puerto Rican greats such as Wilfredo Benitez, Wilfredo Gomez and Felix Trinidad — all International Boxing Hall of Famers — each won world titles in three weight classes and became legends.

Now Cotto is one better than them.

“Happiest day of my life,” Cotto said. “This is the biggest achievement of my professional career.”

Cotto, who has won world titles at middleweight, junior middleweight, welterweight and junior welterweight, won every round and was ahead 90-77 on all three scorecards when the fight was stopped.

“I’m proud of Miguel. He worked so hard,” said Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach, in only his second fight with Cotto. “He deserves this historic victory.”

Chávez Jr. Wins a Unanimous Decision Over Bryan Vera

Posted on September 29, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Despite some rustiness after a yearlong absence, Julio César Chávez Jr. is back in winning form.

The 27-year-old Mexican professional boxer won a unanimous decision over Bryan Vera on Saturday night in his return to the ring after a yearlong absence.

Chavez (47-1-1) overcame weight struggles and a lively challenge from the virtually unknown Vera to get the decision on all three judges’ scorecards, taking the bout 96-94, 97-93 and 98-92.

“I definitely won seven or eight rounds of the fight,” Chavez said. “I was very close to knocking him out like three times in the fight.”

Not many ringside observers agreed: The crowd at StubHub Center, largely pro-Chavez during the fight, booed the decision and Chavez as he left the ring. The Associated Press scored it 96-94 for Vera.

The win capped a rocky stretch for Chavez, who hadn’t fought since Sept. 15, 2012, when he received his first career defeat in a thrilling decision against middleweight king Sergio Martinez.

After serving a nine-month drug suspension, Chavez missed the original 168-pound contract limit for his comeback bout with Vera. The notorious boxing scion struggled just to get to the new 173-pound limit for Friday’s weigh-in.

Vera (23-7) and his camp were furious with the verdict, feeling he outpointed Chavez with superior activity and aggression in the 10-round bout. Vera landed 176 of his 734 punches — throwing more than twice as many as Chavez, who landed 125 of 328 — while also landing more power shots than Chavez, whose face was swollen and cut by the final bell.

“This is the best performance of my career,” Vera said. “The weight was never an issue. The game plan was exactly what we did. I was never hurt during the fight.”

Vera was the aggressor from the opening bell, chasing Chavez around the ring and throwing twice the volume of punches. Chavez, who wouldn’t step on HBO‘s scale before the fight, consistently backed up against his smaller opponent.

But Chavez also landed his left hook consistently, setting up short right hands that turned Vera’s head.

The sixth round was a corker, with both fighters trading big shots. Vera appeared to be winning the seventh round, cutting Chavez on the nose during a flurry against the ropes, but Chavez staggered him with a big left hook in the final seconds.

Chavez complained repeatedly about head butts and low blows by Vera, who finished the final round aggressively and thrust his arms skyward at the final bell.

No matter the decision, Chavez showed some rust and conditioning issues in his first bout since losing to Martinez. Chavez took a pounding in the first 11 rounds of that bout before staggering and nearly stopping Martinez in the 12th, possibly falling a few seconds shy of an upset victory.

But Chavez’s career hit the rocks shortly after that impressive moment. He tested positive for marijuana use, receiving a nine-month suspension and a hefty fine, and he split with respected trainer Freddie Roach and strength coach Alex Ariza.

Chavez was ostensibly trained for this fight by his famous father, although the Hall of Famer watched the evening’s opening bouts in a tuxedo while broadcasting for Mexican television’s Azteca Deportes.

Chavez had hoped to return with another middleweight fight, but realized early in negotiations with Vera that he couldn’t get down to 160 pounds any more. Chavez tried to make the super middleweight limit, but gave up several days ago — and reportedly paid a hefty penalty to Vera on top of Vera’s $275,000 purse.

Chavez, whose purse was $2.5 million, could afford it.

Vera is the son and brother of boxers from Austin, Texas. He competed on the reality show The Contender before upsetting Andy Lee in 2008, leading to a decent career as a second-tier opponent for numerous 160-pound contenders.

Vera revitalized his career in the past 18 months with victories in his last four bouts, including a surprise stoppage of Ukraine’s Sergiy Dzinziruk in January.

Marquez Stuns Pacquiao with KO in the 6th Round…

Posted on December 9, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

It’s just one single “perfect punch” that Juan Manuel Marquez needed to finally defeat his arch nemesis Manny Pacquiao…

The 39-year-old Mexican boxer blasted Pacquiao with a huge right hand with just one second left in the sixth round of their highly anticipated welterweight fight on Saturday night to leave his Filipino adversary face-first on the canvas and score a decisive knockout, giving Marquez his first defeat of Pacquiao in four attempts.

Pacquiao had charged into the Mexican counterpuncher’s danger zone and ran into a right hand, dropping the Filipino along the ropes. Pacquiao lay motionless for several seconds as the sellout crowd of 16,398 at the MGM Grand Arena erupted.

“That’s boxing,” said Pacquiao. “I started to get confident, but I never expected that punch.”

Marquez said, “I knew after the last three rounds that he was going for the knockout and I could be knocked out at any time. I hit him with the perfect punch.”

Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, felt his fighter was in charge throughout the bout. “He just got a little too careless, but he was hurting Marquez,” he said. Pacquiao had knocked Marquez down in the fifth round and nearly had him stopped at that point.

Marquez, who’d never won a fight above 140 pounds, was behind on all three judges’ cards when the fight dramatically ended.

This time, there was no need for Marquez (55-6-1, 40 KOs) to complain about the judges’ scoring. The former four-division world champion had bitterly disputed the results of their three previous encounters, particularly his points loss last November in Las Vegas.

Asked about a fifth fight between the two, promoter Bob Arum, who handles Pacquiao, said, “Why not? We haven’t seen such an exciting fight in years. This fight will go down in history as a ring classic.”

Pacquiao (54-5-2, 38 KOs), who also went down in the third round, has lost two fights in a row for the first time in his career and was stopped for the first time in more than 13 years.

He said he would be up for a fifth fight. “It’s up to my promoter. Let’s fight again,” Pacquiao said before heading to the hospital.

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