CANELO ALVAREZ looked unrecognisable as he received a hard punch from Jaime Munguia.
The Mexican boxer, 33, was able to shrug off the hit as he defended his undisputed super middleweight title against his compatriot.
GettyCanelo Alvarez looked unrecognisable when fighting Jaime Munguia[/caption]
GettyThe Mexican boxer took some heavy blows to the face[/caption]
APHe was able to fight back and take control of the bout[/caption]
GettyAlvarez won and defended his super middleweight title[/caption]
Alvarez, who closed as a minus-380 favourite at BetMGM, overcame a somewhat slow start to dominate and hand Munguia his first defeat.
The champ took full control after knocking down Munguia in the fourth round before the announced crowd of 17,492, which was fairly evenly split between the two competitors.
Tim Cheatham scored the fight 117-110, David Sutherland had it 116-111 and Steve Weisfeld 115-112.
Munguia, 27, was the more aggressive boxer the first three rounds, even getting Alvarez into the ropes in the third.
Alvarez showed in the fourth he wasn’t going anywhere, using a left and then a right to the face to send Munguia to the canvass with 38 seconds left to change the tenor of the fight.
He then proceeded to sting Munguia over the next four rounds with shots to the face. Munguia put together his own sets of flurries, but they did little noticeable damage to Alvarez.
That is until the ninth round when Munguia landed some blows to the face that left Alvarez looking unrecognisable.
But Alvarez responded with his own combinations, including coming out of the corner, in the fight’s most action-packed round.
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The 10th and 11th rounds were close, but largely the same trends followed of Alvarez delivering the harder shots.
Munguia came out in the final round as if he knew he was trailing on the judges’ cards, but did little to change the outcome.
It was Alvarez who again came through with the best blows, using a combination with about a minute left to Munguia’s head and following with several more shots to end the fight.
After the fight, Alvarez was congratulated by American boxing star Ryan Garcia in his dressing room.
He claimed that he is the best Mexican fighter in the world at the moment.
He said: “When I retire, my numbers will say what position I’m in.
“I know there is a lot of great Mexican fighters in the past, but I’m the best fighting right now.”
Alvarez showed for the second straight fight that he is still one of the all time greats in the sport.
Last time out he beat Jermell Charlo by an even wider margin.
However, he has failed to deliver a knockout since beating Caleb Plant in 2021.
Alvarez was wary of what he might do next, saying he’ll return to the ring if the money is right.
He added: “I’ve fought everyone and I can do what I want.
This win means a lot. I’m glad that I gave him this opportunity.
“Munguia is a great guy and a great champion. Hes going to have a great career.
“I’m very proud that all the Mexicans are here watching us.”
Will AJ vs Fury actually happen?
SunSport boxing correspondent Wally Downes Jr answers the big questions around Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury finally facing each other…
Could we finally see Fury vs AJ this year?
Simply: Yes.
Before the Saudi takeover of boxing – spearheaded by Turki Alalshikh, would we have seen Fury vs Francis Ngannou, AJ vs Ngannou, Deontay Wilder vs Joseph Parker, Frank Warren and Eddie Hearn working together and shaking hands for photos?
Simply: No.
The rules, rankings, sanctioning bodies and broadcast and promotional disputes are all irrelevant when this much money is thrown at prize fighting.
How would it work?
It feels like the winner of Fury vs Usyk on May 18 will fight AJ as soon after as possible.
There is a rematch clause in the current deal for Britain’s WBC champ and Ukraine’s WBA, IBF and WBO king to meet and decide the first undisputed ruler for 25 years.
But it seems certain the belts will fragment afterwards – with a string of mandatory challengers due their crack at the four separate belts – so the clamour for AJ vs the winner might be bigger than the demand for a rerun for fewer belts.
Where would it happen?
It feels like every major fight is now going to happen in Saudi Arabia.
But don’t rule out a potential Fury vs Ngannou clash taking place at Wembley stadium.
It seems like the Saudis are keen to eventually host shows in the UK and that fight, at the home of football, would be some debut.
If Usyk topples the Gypsy King then the hype for him to face AJ for a third time will be far less intense.
Why this time?
It feels like we have twice come close to seeing the clash but there were simply too many hurdles and disputes in the way – similar to the way AJ vs Wilder still hasn’t happened.
But with Alalshikh now making Hearn’s Matchroom and Warren’s Queensberry play nice and letting Sky Sports, TNT and DAZN share the shows, there is far less to fight over in the boardroom and loads on to battle for in the ring.
And if Fury beats Usyk and rightfully demands a huge percentage of an overdue Joshua meeting, then the Saudi’s have the cash and the clout to hand him 99 per cent of the pie – to massage his ego and bank balance – and hand AJ as much extra dough as needed to keep everyone sweet.
Who wins?
If Fury sets up an AJ clash by beating Oleksandr Usyk – the mathematics and stats make it clear only a maniac would back Joshua to triumph in the all-English clash.
Usyk dominated AJ over two one-sided fights, on foreign soil.
The Watford man has enjoyed a spike in form and respect since linking up with new trainer Ben Davison but a 20st 6ft 9in Fury – who has just slayed the gap-toothed southpaw – would be almost invincible.
But in any major football derby or cup final the formbook is often aimed out of the window. And perhaps a rejuvenated hungry AJ could be too much for an undisputed and fulfilled Fury to handle.