Jaime Munguia (center) celebrates after beating John Ryder at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, AZ. Photo by Ed Mulholland/Matchroom
Most observers do not envision a competitive outing from the Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez-Edgar Berlanga RING Championship.
Among the few who believe otherwise is also the only recent Canelo-conquered opponent who didn’t pull a disappearing act.
Make no mistake, Jaime Munguia (43-1, 34 KOs) agrees with the overwhelming majority who believe Alvarez (61-2-2, 39 KOs) will prevail. However, the former WBO junior middleweight titleholder sees a path to victory for Brooklyn’s Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs).
“I think it’s a good fight,” Munguia said The Ring. “I know many people choose against Berlanga. He is a good fighter with a steady jab.
“If he can use it correctly and manage the distance correctly, he can win.”
Alvarez-Berlanga headlines a Premier Boxing Champions on Prime Video Pay-Per-View event from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (Saturday, $89.99).
The fight is the eighth attempted defense of THE RING Championship for Guadalajara’s Alvarez. His most recent came in a twelve-round victory over Munguia on May 4, over a PBC on Prime PPV from T-Mobile Arena. Alvarez won by unanimous decision as Tijuana’s Munguia suffered his first loss.
A strange history with Alvarez opponents has been for the losing opponent to sit out for an extended period of time.
Jermell Charlo (35-2-1, 19 KOs) has not fought since his lopsided loss last September 30. Gennadiy Golovkin (42-2-1, 37 KOs) has been out since their Sept. 2022 Trilogy Clash.
Caleb Plant (22-2, 12 KOs) sat out for nearly a year following his November 2021 knockout loss in their undisputed championship. John Ryder (32-7, 18 KOs) has only fought once since his May 2023 loss to Alvarez. Fittingly, that fight was a ninth-round knockout loss to Munguia, after which the Briton announced his retirement.
Munguia chose to keep things moving in his career. Long one of boxing’s most active fighters, he finished with just one fight in 2023. He will now fight for the third time this year when he faces Erik Bazinyan (32-0-1, 23 KOs). Their Sept. 20 super middleweight clash headlines an ESPN broadcast from Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.
The idea is to show the world that he is still among the world’s best super middleweights and a two-division title hopeful. Munguia enjoyed a few rounds of success against Alvarez, but was eventually outmatched by his compatriot.
“No one likes to lose,” Munguia noted. “I can’t hide from it, so why not move forward. I took that as motivation to keep growing as a fighter, to keep improving.
“That’s why I took this fight. It keeps me active and allows me to work on all the things that will make me a better fighter.”
The lopsided odds suggest that Berlanga will be resigned to the same fate. The undefeated Nuyorican comes in with a paper-thin resume, especially compared to Munguia and other recent foes of Alvarez.
Still, Berlanga enjoys physical advantages at 6’1″ and a career 160-168 pound fighter. He will have to overcome his lack of experience at the highest level to have a shot against Alvarez.
Mind over matter will be key.
“It’s boxing. Anything can happen,” Munguia noted. “Obviously I expect Canelo to win. Berlanga has a chance if he can use his best attributes and not have to fight Canelo’s fight.
“However, Canelo is a very intelligent fighter. He is very good at figuring out his opponents.”
