On this day — Canelo Álvarez beat Jaime Munguia 2 years ago

Originally posted on BoxingNews.com | By Priya Shah | Last updated May 4, 2026 3:00 AM ET

Two years ago today, Canelo Álvarez defended his undisputed super-middleweight crown against compatriot Jaime Munguia in Las Vegas, emerging victorious by unanimous decision. The bout marked a generational clash between Mexico's established pound-for-pound king and an unbeaten younger challenger keen to dethrone him. Álvarez controlled proceedings across twelve rounds, demonstrating the ringcraft and defensive acumen that had kept him atop the division for years. Munguia, game throughout, pressed forward but could not solve the champion's movement and counterpunching. The result preserved Álvarez's position as the dominant force at super-middleweight and extended his reign over the four major sanctioning body titles.

Where they were

Álvarez entered the ring with a record of sixty wins, two draws and just two defeats, having unified all four super-middleweight belts and defended them multiple times. His résumé already included victories over world-class operators across four weight divisions. Munguia arrived undefeated at forty-three wins, a former world champion at middleweight who had moved up in search of greater challenges. The younger man carried youth and an aggressive style, but lacked the championship pedigree at this weight that Álvarez had accumulated. Both men represented Mexican boxing's elite tier, yet the experience gap loomed large heading into fight night.

What happened

On 4 May 2024, Canelo Álvarez defeated Jaime Munguia by UD at Canelo Alvarez vs. Jaime Munguia.

The legacy

The decision confirmed Álvarez's mastery of the super-middleweight landscape and underscored the difficulty any challenger faced in wresting the titles from him. For Munguia, defeat marked the first blemish on an otherwise spotless ledger, yet his willingness to face the division's best earned respect even in loss. The result left Álvarez with options to pursue further legacy fights or revisit old rivalries, while Munguia's career remained viable at either middleweight or super-middleweight. The bout demonstrated that, even as younger contenders emerged, Álvarez's technical superiority and ring intelligence kept him a step ahead of the chasing pack.