We have undoubtedly just experienced one of the greatest humiliations that France has known in its boxing history. There will certainly be a before and an after Bruno Surace.
Bruno Surace, a Marseillais who came out of nowhere
Nearly 10,000 km from his Marseille soil, Bruno Surace certainly accomplished the most resounding affront of his life, at only 26 years old. For his first pro fight abroad, the Frenchman agreed to fight the Mexican Jaime Munguia, a category above him, and what's more on his land, in the Estadio Caliente room, white hot by 30,000 spectators in a state of trance.
Facing challenger No. 2 in the WBC, Bruno Surace challenged a boxer who had never been knocked out in his entire career, and who had only one setback against Canelo Alvarez, a giant in his category. The Frenchman had been chosen to allow the Mexican to get in shape before his real meeting next year, namely the WBC title. All the planets were therefore aligned to see Bruno Surace sent to the mat, and that is precisely what happened in the second round. But the Marseillais gets up, and Jaime Munguia doesn't know it, but it's the beginning of the end for him.
A KO synonymous with trauma for the FFL
Indeed, the Frenchman waits for the sixth round, and for the Mexican to lower his guard slightly, to punish him in front of his family. Bruno Surace delivers a devastating hook that crushes his opponent, falling flat on his back. We can't hide from you that we feel this pain every time we see the KO again. We have just witnessed one of the greatest affronts in the history of French boxing. Neither more nor less.
No observer, nor even a single boxing expert, would have bet a kopeck on a victory for Bruno Surace. And yet, the Marseillais defied the laws of Nature. From now on, we will have to live the rest of our days with this image of the knockout etched in our minds. We do it again in slow motion, it's even more painful.
“I don't realize it yet, but I'm very happy to have been able to beat the odds. Before the fight, despite the fact that a lot of people saw me losing, I believed in my abilities” Bruno Surace
