The level of anticipation is high as we are now officially in fight week for Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez (60-2-2, 39 KOs) vs. Jaime Munguia (43-0, 34 KOs). As a large number of people head to Las Vegas, Nevada, to see this one live and celebrate Cinco de Mayo weekend, there will be no shortage of takes on how this one plays out.
One, in particular, starts the week as legendary former HBO commentator Jim Lampley sat down with PPV.com to give his take on the big fight. Lance Pugmire and others will join Lampley as they live chat on the streaming platform with fans during the Canelo vs Munguia fight card. Lampley first examined the challenger Munguia, who had fought on HBO before they closed their doors on boxing for good.
“I covered the emergence period of Jaime Munguia’s career, specifically his encounters with Sadam Ali and Liam Smith. I thought enough of his potential to produce a profile feature on my HBO show, The Fight Game. I took him to the Del Mar racetrack near my California home, and he was pleasantly surprised to discover the jockeys all knew who he was. Since that time, Munguia has stayed busy, winning thirteen more fights to genuinely earn the right to face the highest-identity non-heavyweight fighter in boxing, Canelo Alvarez. The names on the list are not overwhelmingly impressive, but the activity rate is high. And in his last ring appearance, with new a new trainer, hall of famer Freddie Roach, Jaime dealt more harshly with Britain’s John Ryder than had Canelo Alvarez, who got a unanimous decision over Ryder, while Munguia knocked him out in nine rounds. That’s what sets up Munguia vs Alvarez,” said Lampley.
Although Canelo has spent time with different networks, he fought on HBO, specifically in those two memorable fights with Gennadiy ‘GGG’ Golovkin. Having seen Canelo at his peak and now, Lampley had this to say about the undisputed super middleweight champion.
“Canelo has had an exceptionally long career by 21st-century standards, and his learning curve has been disciplined and constant. It’s almost certainly impossible to find an impartial expert who expects Munguia to defrock him in a boxing match. The Tijuana star is a puncher, but the pride of Guadalajara has one of the sport’s most proven chins. So, most likely competitive, uncertainty still awaits a Canelo face-off against one of the two 168 lb David Benavidez or Morrell. The sober prediction here is a thoughtful, cerebral Alvarez decision. But while there are still some chinks in Jaime Munguia’s armor, he does have armor. So, an upset isn’t out of the question…just unlikely.”
After breaking down both Canelo and Munguia, Lampley gives his final prediction. “Canelo by unanimous decision is most likely.”
Do you agree with Lampley, or will the 27-year-old Munguia defy the odds? You can stream the fight live on PPV.com and also ask Jim Lampley more questions on the live chat.
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