In the high-stakes, glitzy world of boxing, a fierce battle was witnessed in Las Vegas, where Canelo Alvarez once again emerged victorious, solidifying his reign as the undisputed super middleweight champion. Alvarez dismissed all doubts regarding his ability to deliver knockouts, demonstrating his superior strength and boxing skills in a thrilling face-off with Jaime Munguia.
Earning the title of the match’s favorite, Alvarez slowly but steadily dominated the ring, turning tides in his favor and handing a hard-earned victory to the fierce Munguia, thus marking his first defeat. His command over the match was entrenched after he knocked down Mungia in the fourth round, amidst the escalating excitement of a crowd of 17,492 spectators who had their loyalties evenly divided.
The scoring trio, comprising Tim Cheatham, David Sutherland, and Steve Weisfeld, declared the match in favor of Alvarez with scores of 117-110, 116-111, and 115-112, respectively. Alvarez, known as a powerhouse in the boxing world, said, “When I retire, my numbers will say what position I’m in. I know there’s a lot of great Mexican fighters in the past, but I’m the best fighting right now.”
With continuous affirmative performances, Alvarez has proven time and again that he is still one of the sport’s all-time greats, even at 33. His convincing victories over Jermell Charlo and others have been testament to this. Despite these triumphs, Alvarez’s record has been free of a knockout since his victory over Caleb Plant in 2021 — a streak extending over five matches.
The champion then expressed uncertainty about future bouts, stating his return to the ring would be based on the right offer. He confidently added, “I’ve fought everyone and I can do what I want.”
The fight was a true Mexican showpiece, proudly representing the country’s boxing prowess during the Cinco de Mayo weekend. After his victory, Alvarez stated, “This win means a lot, I’m honored to have given Munguia this chance. Mungia is a great contender and will have an exceptional career. I’m proud of all the Mexicans who were here supporting us.”
However, the pre-match harmony was disrupted when Alvarez publicly criticized Munguia’s promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, leading to a tense altercation at the press conference.
Munguia, though considerably more aggressive in the early rounds, could not surpass Alvarez’s robust defense and sophisticated blows. Nevertheless, the youngster managed to stun Alvarez in the ninth round with powerful strikes to the face. Despite small victories, the match’s power dynamics remained unchanged, witnessed unequivocally in the last round.
Munguia grappled with his first defeat, admitting, “The loss hurts because it was my first loss and I felt strong.”
In other matches, San Antonio’s Mario Barrios successfully defended his WBC interim world welterweight title, and WBC interim world featherweight champion Brandon Figueroa of Welasco shocked Las Vegas native Jessie Magdaleno with a left uppercut. Meanwhile, Eimantas Stanionis of Lithuania effortlessly retained his WBA welterweight title.
