Changing of the guard? Unbeaten Mexican Munguia meets Canelo

There is no doubt about how Jaime Munguia feels about his opponent in Saturday night’s super middleweight world title bout at T-Mobile Arena.

“Canelo Alvarez has always been a source of pride and motivation for me,” Munguia said. “I used to say when I was coming up in the sport that I wanted to be just like him.”

Now, Munguia has to try to beat him.

Alvarez (60-2-2, 39 knockouts) will put the undisputed title on the line against his fellow Mexican in the main event of the pay-per-view card.

While the 27-year-old Munguia (43-0, 34 KOs) is only six years younger than Alvarez, the champion has been at the top of the game for a long time, while Munguia has been working his way up the ladder, fighting for relevance.

The Tijuana native isn’t about to waste the biggest opportunity of his career by getting caught up thinking about the global spotlight on this fight or the iconic stature of his opponent.

“Outside the ring, Canelo has all my respect,” Munguia said. “But inside the ring, that respect goes out the window.”

Munguia has been working toward an opportunity like this since he went to the boxing gym with his dad, a former pro heavyweight, at a young age.

He had a decorated amateur career and eschewed a potential Olympic path to make his pro debut in 2013 at age 16. He fought 25 times in Mexico over the next four years, slowly drawing better opponents along the way.

‘Very confident’

Munguia fought for his first world title in 2018 and has been a fixture at the top of the rankings, never suffering a loss despite staying active.

He says it was all leading up to this opportunity.

“We’re ready for this stage,” he said. “We’re ready for everything, and we’re going to have a great fight. We’re very confident.

“This is just the beginning of the best part of my career. I’ve done a lot in my career so far, but I believe I’m just reaching my peak now.”

That could be happening at a time where Alvarez is on the other side of his peak. While he has won his last three fights, Alvarez has dealt with a hand injury for several years, and other minor ailments have wreaked havoc on his training camps and his performances.

Still, he remains one of the most popular fighters on the planet and is nearly a -500 favorite to hand Munguia his first loss.

That gives the underdog a great opportunity to stake his claim as the next big star out of Mexico.

Championship connections

“I truly believe this will be a changing of the guard for Mexican boxing, from Canelo to Munguia,” Munguia’s promoter Oscar De La Hoya said. “Jaime is undefeated and an incredible talent who deserves this stage and spotlight.

“He has always dared to be great, and Saturday night he will fulfill his dream and become world champion.”

It’s a belief shared by Munguia’s trainer, Freddie Roach.

“My fighter is doing well and had a great training camp for this fight,” Roach said. “He’s really on top of his game right now, and we’re ready for this fight. Canelo is a tough opponent and we’re ready for whatever he brings to the table, but Jaime’s going to be the best after Saturday night.”

An upset victory by Munguia isn’t likely to change the amount of respect he has for Alvarez.

Munguia not only appreciates what Alvarez has done for the sport, but also what he did for him by signing to fight him on the massive platform that Cinco de Mayo weekend in Las Vegas provides.

“The respect between us is mutual,” Munguia said. “We want to be a source of pride not just for Mexicans in Mexico, but those all around the world who are expecting a great fight. It’s going to be a great Mexican party, and I promise a great fight that fans are going to love.”

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.