Canelo Alvarez dropped Jaime Munguia on his way to a points victory as he defended his undisputed super-middleweight championship.
Fighting a fellow Mexican for the first time in seven years, and on Cinco de Mayo weekend in Las Vegas, the pressure was on Canelo to deliver against the previously undefeated Munguia.
But he did just that, dropping Munguia with an uppercut in the fourth round and easing to a unanimous points decision, with the judges scoring it 117-110, 116-111 and 115-112 in his favour to ensure Canelo kept hold of his WBA, WBC, WBO and IBF titles.
“I take my time,” the undisputed champion said after extending his record to 61-2-2.
“That’s why I have a lot of experience. Jaime Munguia is a great fighter. He’s strong, he’s smart. But I take my time. I have 12 rounds to win the fight and I did. I did really good and I feel proud about it.”
He added: “He’s strong but I think he’s a little slow. I could see every punch … That’s why I’m the best. I’m the best fighter right now, for sure.”
Munguia, now 43-1, made a confident start at the T-Mobile Arena but the fight turned in the fourth, as the 27-year-old was sent crashing to the canvas for the first time in his career.
A succession of right uppercuts from Canelo found a way through the Munguia defences, with the third landing flush and bringing the knockdown.
The moment everything changed 🥊👀@Canelo landed a devastating blow to knock @jaimemunguia15 to the canvas for the first time ever.#CaneloMunguia pic.twitter.com/5DFOuOU9Be
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) May 5, 2024
Canelo took charge of the fight from that point, even if Munguia did cause him some problems in the ninth, but the result was never in doubt as the final bell was heard.
“I came out well," Munguia said. "I think at the beginning I was winning some of those rounds.
"It was going well, I let my hands go but he’s a fighter with a lot of experience. Unfortunately, he beat me. It definitely hurts.”
David Benavidez, the three-time super-middleweight champion, was watching on, with the Mexican the biggest threat to Canelo’s undisputed status at 168lbs. However, Canelo has previously shown little interest in fighting his compatriot, claiming he would need $150m-$200m to do so.
Asked after beating Munguia whether he could fight Benavidez next, Canelo said: “I don’t know right now. I’m going to rest, I’m going to enjoy my family. But you know, if the money is right, I can fight right now. I don’t give a s***.”
“At this point, everybody’s asking for everything, right? When I fought Lara, Charlo, Miguel Angel Cotto, Mayweather, Billie Joe Saunders, everybody say I don’t want to fight them. And I fought all of them. So right now I can do whatever I want.”
