Canelo Alvarez vs. Jaime Munguia super middleweight title fight goes down this Sat. night (May 4, 2024) LIVE on DAZN pay-per-view (PPV) from inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. That’s why Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is staging it’s latest pay-per-view (PPV) offering (UFC 301) on the same night in Brazil. Canelo’s return to action will cost you $89.99, but it also features the interim WBC welterweight title bout between Mario Barrios and Fabian Maidana.
What’s Hot:
Canelo Alvarez will make his much-anticipated return to action to face Jaime Munguia to see who will be the undisputed super middleweight champion of the boxing world. Alvarez currently holds the WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, and The Ring super middleweight titles, while Munguia is the WBC Silver super middleweight champion. Alvarez was last seen dominating Jermell Charlo in Sept. 2023, his third straight win after his 16-fight win streak was snapped by Dmitry Bivol, which was just the second loss of his illustrious combat career. Much was made about Canelo’s resistance to grant David Benavidez a shot, with some going as far as to say that the undisputed king was ducking him. That’s just silly. A man who has taken on the best the boxing world has to offer isn’t afraid of anyone, and critics fail to understand Canelo’s stance that he shouldn’t have to grant someone a title shot just for the sake of doing it. At some point, however, it will be a mandated fight that has to be made.
For now, Alvarez more than has his hands full in an undefeated 27-year old phenom who already has a pro record of 42-0 with 34 knockouts on his resume. The knock on Munguia is that his resume is not even close to that of Canelo’s (there are few that are), but taking out one of the most-respected Mexican fighters ever will make him a hero in his home country. If he can pull off the upset, he will be able to write his own ticket moving forward, and he will also have a huge target on his back. Furthermore, he will give his promoter, Oscar de la Hoya, some more ammunition in his war of words against Canelo. Indeed, the two boxing legends recently went at it during the final pre-fight press conference, with Canelo accusing his former promoter of stealing from his fighters. With that kind of heat, one can only imagine what a fight between them in their primes would have played out.
How The ‘Prelims’ Look:
Rising contender Vito Mielnicki Jr. will take on Ronald Cruz in a 10-round super welterweight title fight, Meilnicki is 17-1 and is on a nine-fight win streak with eight knockouts accrued in the span. As for Cruz, he is 19-3-1 with 12 knockouts on his resume.
William Scull and Sean Hemphill will throw down in a super middleweight bout. Scull is undefeated at 21-0 with nine knockouts to his credit. His young foe may not be as experienced, but he has the skills to perhaps pull off the upset here with a 63-percent knockout rate.
Jesus Ramos and Johan Gonzalez are set to collide in a 10-round super welterweight fight. Ramos is a southpaw from the US and has racked up an impressive record of 20-1 with 16 knockouts. His opponent, meanwhile, hails from Venezuela with a record of 34-2. The orthodox fighter has won all but one of his fights via knockout.
Undefeated Mexican sensation, David Picasso, is 27-0-1 at just 23 years of age and has all the makings of a future star, and his 15 knockouts prove that. He has a tough challenge against Damien Vazquez, who is out for his third straight win. In further action, Jabin Chollet takes on Julian Bridges at 135 pounds. Chollet is undefeated at 9-0, while Bridges is very early in his combat career with a 4-0 record.
In another intriguing lightweight bout, Adrian Torres and Arsen Poghosyan do battle in a fight between up-and-comers. Poghosyan hails from Armenia and is just 3-1-1 in five fights with two knockout victories to boast of. As far as Torres is concerned, the Mexican-born fighter is 7-0 with six impressive knockouts on his resume.
Who Needs A Win Badly:
In a super lightweight fight, Gabriel Valenzuela and Jose Angulo will trade punches in what is sure-to-be an entertaining bout. Valenzuela is fighting out of Mexico and boasts a record of 28-3-1 with 17 knockouts. His opponent, who fights out of Ecuador, is an orthodox boxer with a sub-par record of 16-8 and is the rightful underdog in this fight. Angulo is in desperate need of a win because he is 2-6 in his last eight fights and is coming off a majority decision loss.
Interest Level: 8.5/10
This fight is filled with several exciting bouts, which includes four main card title fights. To compliment the main event, Mario Barrios will face Fabian Maidana for the interim WBC world welterweight title. Maidana is the younger brother of former champion, Marcos Maidana, who nearly pulled off an upset over Floyd Mayweather a decade ago. But Fabian is out to make his own name in the boxing world, and at 18-1 with 13 knockouts, the 31 year-old Argentinean is well on his way. Barrios, however, is way may more experienced with a 28-2 record and 18 knockouts. He is currently the interim WBC welterweight championship on a two-fight win streak. Prior to starting his current run, he was coming off back-to-back losses at the hands of Gervonta Davis and Keith Thurman.
Interim WBC featherweight champion, Brandon Figueroa, will put his strap on the line against Jessie Magdaleno. Figueroa — who is the former WBC super bantamweight champion — is 24-1-1 with 18 knockouts wins, which gives him a 75-percent stoppage ratio. But his opponent is a tad more experienced in the ring with a 29-2 record and 18 knockouts. He only has three fights in four years, so he hasn’t been overly active thanks to injuries.
Kicking off the main card is a WBA regular welterweight title fight between Eimantas Stanionis vs. Gabriel Maestre. Stanionis is the current champion at 147 pounds. The Lithuanian packs power in his punches and his nine knockouts in 14 wins prove just that. Maestre, meanwhile, is fighting out of Venezuela and is just 6-0-1 in his young boxing career. He is the current interim Welterweight champion and is looking to become undisputed in “Sin City.”
Enjoy the fights!
Full Fight Card:
Canelo vs. Mungia DAZN PPV Main Card (8 p.m. ET):
168 lbs.: Canelo Álvarez vs. Jaime Munguia for Undisputed Super Middleweight Title
147 lbs.: Mario Barrios vs. Fabian Maidana for Interim WBC World Welterweight Title
126 lbs.: Brandon Figueroa vs. Jessie Magdaleno for Interim WBC Featherweight Title
147 lbs.: Eimantas Stanionis vs. Gabriel Maestre for WBA Regular Welterweight TitleNote: Main event ring walks expected at or around 11 p.m. ET.
Canelo vs. Mungia YouTube Prelims Card (6 p.m. ET):
154 lbs.: Vito Mielnicki Jr. vs. Ronald Cruz
168 lbs.: William Scull vs. Sean Hemphill
154 lbs.: Jesus Ramos vs. Johan Gonzalez
140 lbs.: Gabriel Valenzuela vs. Jose Angulo
122 lbs.: Damien Vazquez vs. David Picasso
135 lbs.: Jabin Chollet vs. Julian Bridges
135 lbs.: Adrian Torres vs. Arsen Poghosyan
For the entire Canelo vs. Munguia fight card and DAZN PPV lineup click here. For more boxing news and notes click here.