Jaime Munguia’s decision to fight four times in 2024 may have cost him with his sixth round knockout loss to Bruno Surace last Saturday night at the Estadio Caliente in Tijuana, Mexico. It was a perfect example of a cherry pick gone wrong.
Overconfidence
Former super middleweight world title challenger Munguia (44-2, 35 KOs) got greedy opted to push for a fourth fight this year, and the unranked, little-known Surace (26-0-2, 5 KOs) took advantage by knocking out the Mexican fighter in front of his fans in Tijuana. It was supposed to celebrate Munguia, but what an utter disaster.
Munguia looked heavier than usual in the ring, and he didn’t seem to train as hard as he had in his previous fights this year against Erik Bazinyan, Canelo Alvarez and John Ryder. Of course, Jaime took it for granted that he was going to defeat Surace without difficulty, but man, he was wrong.
You could tell Surace was going to be a problem early on after he was dropped in the second round. The Frenchman got up and landed a lightning fast right to the head of Munguia that was like, ‘Wow, where did that come from?’ Nobody in the 168-lb division throws punches like Surace, and Munguia didn’t see the right hands he was throwing.
The only reason the fight didn’t end sooner is because Bruno (26) didn’t let go of his hands. He mostly defended all incoming from Jaime, which was understandable. Munguia showed no respect for Surace in the ring, throwing combinations and trying to impress the Mexican fans with a quick knockout.
Bruno Surace: “I know he is an excellent boxer. So, we worked on our counters,” Surace said. “He is a true fighter. I want to thank him for the opportunity. It was a great experience for me. Middleweight is my true weight class. But we’ll see if (a second fight against Munguia) can happen.”
A Hype Job?
It would be a bad idea for Munguia’s top tier promoters to set up a rematch with Surace. In a second fight, this smart man will counter him into oblivion, and Munguia is not good enough to beat him.
If Jaime possesses real ability, they can put him back into Surace and expect him to avenge his loss. Mexican fighter Munguia can’t do that. He was always protected during his 11-year career. Munguia’s career would evaporate if he fought Surace again, as he would likely lose. The Frenchman is smarter than him and will score another KO.
Munguia has always been a hype job. He was never ranked with the killers in any of the three divisions he competed in, from 154 to 168. When he did get the Canelo fight, he lost. He and Edgar Berlanga are the same type of fighters with records produced. It was just a scam.
This defeat puts Munguia’s career in a bad position; he cannot afford another loss. His promoters at Top Rank will have to rebuild him, but they must do so in a way that suits him against significant opposition.
Hardcore boxing fans saw Munguia as a hype job from day one. He has been purposefully matched against tomato cans his entire career to get a big money fight against Canelo Alvarez. Now that Munguia has finally achieved his goal of getting that mega payday fight against Alvarez on May 4th earlier this year, his promoters are stuck with a badly flawed guy who still needs to be protected just like he always was.
What’s next?
– Trevor McCumby
– Edgar Berlanga
– Jermall Charlo
– Bektemir Melikuziev
Jaime Munguia will be back 🇲🇽🙏 pic.twitter.com/jur4ltbZCu
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) December 15, 2024
Unreal finish in slow-mo 😳 #MunguiaSurace pic.twitter.com/2bE9JOTF6E
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) December 15, 2024
