Rarely, the Mexican Saul Canelo Álvarez, In his thirteen years as world champion with 24 title fights, he had to endure so many ambivalent pressures in the hours before a low-risk fight like this one: his defense of the unified super middleweight scepter (76,200 kg.) (WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO) before his compatriot Jaime Munguiawhich will take place tonight at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, televised by ESPN.
What kind of demands can Canelo have as a 6-1 betting favorite over the undefeated challenger from Tijuana? Four that are fundamental. Namely:
- Compete with the Japanese Naoya Inoue, also a quadruple champion, for the position of being the best of the moment: gram for gram, pound for pound. Inoue will expose his crown next Monday against the Aztec Luis Nery, in Tokyo, in a challenge that attracts much more attraction than his, causing an absolute success in the East and absolute expectation among the experts to rule. Who is the current leader of the ring?
- Participate again in a show during the famous Cinco de Mayo week in Las Vegas, an emblematic date for the Mexican community of this city. But he did not manage, on this occasion, to maintain the same crowd of people as in the past, as when he fought with Floyd Mayweather, Gennady Golovkin or Caleb Plant. Beyond the cooling of his relationship with the public, palpable in his last presentations, the difficult economic situation in the United States and the exorbitant increases in the prices of accommodation and entertainment in Las Vegas also became mitigating factors for the fall of his “shares.” of consumption”. And this worries him.
- The public, exhausting and aggressive confrontation with Oscar de la Hoya, his former representative, who has an immaculate bearing in the United States due to his sporting career. He defined him as a “thief” and Oscar called him “ungrateful and ungrateful.” Unaccustomed to public scandals, Canelo exhibited an unusual image for his supporters, creating a thick atmosphere that does not suit him very well.
- The sovereign’s anger for avoiding the match with the North American knockout David Benavidez, forced to emigrate to the light heavyweights, is absolute. He distances him from the true connoisseurs of pugilism. And this irritates him.
Who is Jaime Munguía? A box fighter from laboratory ten centimeters taller. Prepared slowly and with many precautions since his professional debut in 2013. He had the best coaches at his mercy: Roberto Alcázar, Erik Morales and now Feddie Roach. At 27 years old, he achieved 43 consecutive victories (34 KO). He was junior middleweight world champion (WBO) between 2018 and 2020. He made six title fights, vacated the scepter and rose to middleweight (72,574 kg.), although without high-level matches in this division. He added more weight to his body and climbed to 76,200 kg, his current category. He had two extremely tough and bloody fights against two former champions one step away from retirement: Sergiy Derevyanchenko and John Ryder. He beat them, but compromising his physique a lot; He had to push himself to the maximum to defeat them.
It will be difficult for him to cope with Canelo’s pace and experience. Munguía boxes well, but does not have a decisive punch in the dear to dear. With good technique, it will be difficult for him to nullify Canelo’s attack, who should have more offensive explosion than in his last defense against Jermell Charlo.
It will be a fight with a lot of strategy, where Canelo’s overflows and combinations will determine its development and duration. He needs an anthological knockout to revitalize his present. Due to strength and variants, the champion is a clear favorite.
Each fight of “Canelo”, 33 years old and with 60 wins (39 KOs), 2 setbacks and 2 draws, has a different contour. This time, the external: his bidding with Inoue, the insults with De la Hoya and the speculation in the Las Vegas casinos have left Munguía in a complete background. It is the best that can happen to the challenger, who in the law of drip, round by round, will seek to produce one of the great surprises of the 21st century.
TNT Maidana and an unexpected opportunity
Fabian TNT Maidana, at 31 years old and when no one expected it, will have his World Cup opportunity in the co-main event against the American Mario Barrios, WBC interim welterweight world champion.
The younger brother of the “Chinese” Maidana, winner of 22 fights (16 K0) and 2 setbacks, has a measured and orderly style. Without international prominence and favored with an agreed promotion in the ranking from 34th to 20th place, he executes his offensive conversion by throwing left hooks, his best blows.
Barrios, 28 years old and 30 fights old, with 28 wins (18 KO) and 2 losses, surpasses him in several aspects. Height and reach; His handling of direct hits and international experience make him the favorite. He was able to recover by reconquering the crown against the Cuban Yordenis Ugas, after being knocked out by Gervonta Davis and losing, without pain or glory, to Keith Thurman.