The undisputed super-middleweight crown is on the line when Canelo Alvarez defends his four world titles against Jaime Munguia in an all-Mexican Las Vegas showdown in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Canelo remains one of boxing’s biggest draws, but Munguia is a former light-middleweight world champion and the unbeaten 27-year-old is hungry for Alvarez’s belts.
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Rambo ready to claim undisputed crown
Alvarez is one of boxing’s most decorated fighters and the Guadalajara ace rules the 168lbs division. Canelo will bring the four major super-middleweight belts to the ring in Las Vegas this weekend and the 33-year-old remains a top-level fighter. However, there have been signs that time is catching up with Alvarez and all good things must come to an end.
Canelo isn’t an old fighter in terms of age, but the 33-year-old is a 64-fight veteran and there are plenty of miles on the clock.
Alvarez stepped up to light-heavyweight to face Dmitry Bivol in 2022, and while Canelo held onto his super-middleweight titles after the defeat, that fight with such a heavy-hitter may have left its mark on the Mexican. Bivol landed some crunching blows on the 33-year-old and those were punches from a naturally far bigger man.
The Guadalajara boxer recovered from that defeat to beat Gennadiy Golovkin, John Ryder and Jermell Charlo, but the victory over GGG was anything but convincing and Ryder and Charlo took Canelo the distance.
Munguia has fought only twice in the 168lbs division, but he did stop Ryder, something that Canelo was unable to do, and he also ended the challenge of Sergiy Derevyanchenko before the final bell. Those victories suggest that the former light-middleweight champion has carried his power through the divisions and it’s worth remembering that Rambo is unbeaten in 43 professional contests.
Clearly, downing Canelo is a huge challenge for Munguia, but it may not prove as difficult as offers of 4/1 suggest and the Tijuana man looks worth a punt at big odds in Vegas.
Munguia’s aggression can see the fight end before final bell
Munguia is an aggressive and come-forward fighter and the 27-year-old is likely to attempt to take the fight to Canelo. The Tijuana man is a fresh and unexposed boxer and there is no doubt that Rambo will arrive in Las Vegas with the ambition and belief to win.
That said, Alvarez remains a seriously dangerous counter-puncher and Munguia’s attacking approach could leave gaps for Canelo to exploit.
Munguia looks to hold serious claims of dethroning the undisputed super-middleweight world champion, and backing the fight to end before the final bell appears a good way to side with the 27-year-old winning the bout, with the added insurance against Canelo catching the Tijuana man as he pushes forward.
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