Canelo Alvarez ensured he retained his super middleweight throne with a unanimous decision victory over Jaime Munguia on Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
As part of Cinco De Mayo, the stage was set for a big fight between two Mexican boxers and they did not disappoint. There were numerous exchanges from the start of the clash until the sound of the last bell.
Alvarez (61-2-2, 39 KOs) retained his four belts in the division by taking control of the clash from the fourth round, when he dispatched Munguia (43-1, 34 KOs). .-O.) to the mat. The latter never slowed down afterward to put on quite a show for the fans. In the end, the judges gave cards of 117-111, 116-112 and 115-112 in favor of the defending champion.
Alvarez is now 10-1 over Cinco De Mayo weekend, having suffered his only loss in May 2022 to Dmitry Bivol.
From the start of the fight, Munguia was active at the expense of a more passive Canelo. The 27-year-old boxer threw a few combinations while jumping, while his opponent remained very calm, wanting to settle in the center of the ring.
The 33-year-old defending champion worked on his compatriot’s body at the start of the second attack before successfully landing two consecutive direct shots to the head towards the end. Munguia was far from backing down from the attacks and responded in turn each time to the great delight of the spectators present.
Munguia charged just before the bell rang for the next round. He pushed Canelo back into the cables with a load of punches that left the latter unanswered.
Just when Alvarez seemed to have taken Munguia’s best strike since the start of the fight, Canelo responded with a brilliant combination that sent his opponent to the floor following an uppercut. Munguia immediately got up to continue the fight in the fourth round.
The 33-year-old boxer once again relied on his dodging in defense and his trademark counter-attack: his left hook to the body to bring down Munguia’s guard. He did not show a drop in energy, continuing to be very active, keeping the champion towards the outside of the ring.
The ninth round gave rise to lively exchanges between the two men. If the aspirant signaled himself through volume, the monarch looked to power and precision to respond and make his presence felt.
The 12th round was like the fight with fierce exchanges and in the end, the two boxers congratulated each other in the ring, Munguia leaving with a first defeat under his belt.
In the evening’s semi-final, Mario Barrios retained his interim WBC welterweight belt with a unanimous decision victory over Fabian Andres Maidana.
He was favored by the judges on all three cards with identical scores of 116-111. Barrios won during this fight. He notably made his opponent visit the floor in the third round with a right hook which destabilized Maidana.
The Heartbreaker makes its law
WBC interim featherweight champion Brandon “ The Heartbreaker » Figueroa (25-1-1, 19 KOs) won by KO. against former world champion Jessie Magdaleno (29-3, 18 KOs).
A hook to the body from Figueroa to Magdaleno forced the latter to take a knee. Referee Allen Huggins then went for the final count of ten at 2:59 in the ninth round.
A first defeat for Maestre
WBA welterweight champion Eimantas Stanionis (15-0, 9 KOs) inflicted a first defeat on double Olympic medalist Gabriel Maestre (6-1-1, 5 KOs) thanks to a unanimous decision in twelve rounds.
Stanionis and Maestre quickly attacked at the start of the fight to give a sustained rhythm to the confrontation. They worked inside and let their hands go in the second round.
Stanionis exerted pressure in the third round while Maestre held on. He began to gain the upper hand in the fight from the fourth round using his right right.
