Lucas Jones
One of boxing’s biggest stars returns to action on Saturday when undisputed super middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez defends his four world championships against undefeated Jaime Munguia. The action takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas as Alvarez continues his tradition of headlining Cinco De Mayo weekend.
Many fans questioned Alvarez’s choice of opponent for the fight, wondering why Munguia got the call when other, more established fighters were available. However, when you’re a superstar on Alvarez’s level, you call the shots in a way that others don’t.
This questionable matchmaking is just one of the biggest storylines on Saturday’s card, and with that in mind, let’s take a look at three of the biggest Alvarez vs. Munguia storylines.
Did “Canelo” just face the toughest fights available?
No offense to Munguia, but the general feeling when he was announced as Alvarez’s opponent was one of disappointment. David Benavidez was the ideal opponent for Alvarez. Benavidez won the WBC super middleweight championship twice, losing the belt outside the ring both times. After Benavidez dominated Caleb Plant to retain the WBC interim title, there was no doubt that the time had come for Benavidez to get his chance against Alvarez.
Instead, Alvarez went with Munguia. To make matters worse, Alvarez defended his position by saying that he could make the amount of money he was offered to fight Benavidez against anyone and that someone would have to offer him $150-200 million for him to be interested in a fight with Benavidez.
As a result, Benavidez moved up to light heavyweight, as did the next man in line of contenders, David Morrell. Morrell was the WBA’s secondary champion for nearly four years, but it never seemed like the sanctioning body would bolster his position as Alvarez’s mandatory challenger. Alvarez is simply bigger than the rules that apply to other champions and if he had no interest in fighting Benavidez or Morrell, he wouldn’t be forced to do so, regardless of their position in the division or the secondary titles they held.
Munguia is a decent opponent for Alvarez, but compared to Benavidez and Morrell, he simply isn’t at the top of the most dangerous fights for Alvarez. Neither did Edgar Berlanga, who was somehow propelled to the top of the WBA rankings on the strength of a victory over middling fighter Padraig McCrory in February. Berlanga is a fighter that Alvarez has repeatedly expressed interest in facing, so it seems fitting that he has been put in the ideal position to get the fight should Alvarez get past Munguia. Berlanga is not an intriguing opponent for someone like Alvarez, plus Alvarez is interested in facing him.
It’s disappointing to see Alvarez, who was once ranked among the boxers most willing to take big risks in pursuit of his legacy.
Does Munguia have a chance?
Munguia should not be forgotten by fans and media heading into the fight. He is a talented fighter, with high punching power and who can pressure Alvarez. But, as appears to have been the case in Alvarez’s most recent fights, Munguia’s best chance likely depends on Alvarez slowing down.
After losing to Dmitry Bivol in an attempt to move up to light heavyweight and win the title for a second time, Alvarez put in uninspiring performances against Gennady Golovkin in a trilogy fight and John Ryder. Alvarez’s punching production dropped and his defense appeared to have flaws that he hadn’t previously shown.
Alvarez allayed many of those concerns in his most recent fight, destroying Jermell Charlo in 12 rounds. Of course, Charlo was moving up two weight classes for the fight, while Munguia is a solid, experienced super middleweight.
Munguia’s best path to victory is a combination of his pressure in the fight against Alvarez, along with Alvarez continuing to show deterioration in his defensive capabilities, along with a return to hesitation in letting his own hands go.
The chance is there, but Munguia’s status as a +400 underdog is indicative of his real chances of getting the job done.
What to know about the tie
Unfortunately, the card below of Alvarez vs Munguia is not strong. Check out the three fights scheduled to make up the rest of the pay-per-view broadcast:
- Mario Barrios (c) vs. Fabian Maidana, WBC interim welterweight championship
- Brandon Figueroa (c) vs. Jessie Magdaleno, WBC interim featherweight championship
- Eimantas Stanionis (c) vs Gabriel Maestre, WBA “regular” welterweight championship
All three favorites – Barrios, Figueroa and Stanionis – are at least -1000 in the betting window. Furthermore, every fight is for a secondary or tertiary title, with no other world championship on the line.
Considering fans are being asked to pay an incredibly high price of $89.99, it’s fair to expect a higher quality card for the cost.
In the main supporting fight of the night, Barrios is defending his interim WBC belt against Maidana, who is not even ranked in the WBC top 15 and who BoxRec ranks as the 50th welterweight in the world. This fight alone makes it obvious how cynical matchmaking is.
These fights exist to fill time, with the Alvarez fight on Cinco De Mayo weekend being the only reason for fans to pay even a penny to watch the card.
