Undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez waits for the start of a round during his title defense against Jermell Charlo at T-Mobile Arena Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023, in Las Vegas.
Saul “Canelo” Álvarez has fought on Cinco de Mayo weekend nearly every year of his boxing career as a nod to his Mexican heritage.
This year, the undisputed super middleweight champion and boxing’s biggest draw wanted to supersize the holiday. The 33-year-old Álvarez passed on several other potential opponents because he felt a calling to face a fellow Mexican for the first time since 2017 with the emergence of 27-year-old Jaime Munguía.
The bout between Álvarez (60-2-2, 39 KOs) and Munguía (43-0, 34 KOs) scheduled for May 4 at T-Mobile Arena may not wind up one of the former’s biggest blockbusters from a financial standpoint, but that’s a secondary concern.
ÁLVAREZ VS. MUNGUíA
• May 4, doors at 2:30 p.m. with main card at 5 p.m. and main-event walkouts expected around 8:15 p.m. at T-Mobile Arena.
• Tickets: $405-$3,505 at axs.com. TV: $89.99 through Prime Video.
This matchup means more than box-office figures and pay-per-view receipts to Álvarez.
“It’s a great source of pride for me because it’s all about Mexico,” Álvarez said at a news conference promoting the event. “I’m proud to have my country featured this way in front of the whole world. The fans are going to be the biggest winners … and we invite everyone to what’s going to be a big party for Mexico.”
Munguía sits nowhere near Álvarez in terms of star power, but that could now change with one well-timed punch. By taking the fight, Álvarez is at risk of staging his own passing-of-the-torch moment as the greatest current Mexican fighter.
And that’s exactly what another former boxer once considered Mexico’s best, Oscar De La Hoya, is predicting.
“Canelo is going to come out guns blazing but there’s a changing of the guard in every era, and I think that this is the perfect scenario,” De La Hoya said at Munguía’s open media workout.
De La Hoya is notably biased as Munguía’s promoter. But he was also formerly Álvarez’s promoter, including for many of his biggest fights, like a majority-decision loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. on Mexican Independence Weekend in 2013.
Before Álvarez, boxing’s traditional Cinco De Mayo showcase spot belonged to De La Hoya. One of the biggest ever came when De La Hoya fell via split decision to Mayweather six years before the latter would take on Álvarez.
It’s all a tangled web, but the lineage carried on between fighters like De La Hoya and Á lvarez has long been part of boxing’s appeal.
“The respect between us is mutual,” Munguía said of his relationship with Álvarez. “We want to be a source of pride not just for Mexicans in Mexico, but those all around the world who are expecting a great fight.”
Munguía was never considered as much of a can’t-miss prospect as De La Hoya and Álvarez, but he’s willed himself to the top of the sport. Inspired by Álvarez, Munguía developed an insatiable work ethic and a fan-friendly style in search of boxing’s biggest stages.
He’s won three different belts in the last six years, giving some in the boxing community hope that he could knock off a monolith like Álvarez in the process.
There’s a chance Munguía’s best is still ahead of him, especially considering he only recently started working with Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach.
In his first fight with Roach in his corner, Munguía knocked out John Ryder in January at Footprint Arena in Phoenix. The result looks particularly eye-raising juxtaposed with how Álvarez couldn’t finish Ryder and settled for a unanimous-decision verdict in their Cinco De Mayo weekend fight in Guadalajara, Mexico, last year.
“Munguía is a disciplined fighter who hits hard,” Álvarez said. “He’s a power puncher and I like a challenge. I want to face fighters who are hungry like I am.”
Álvarez had drawn some criticism for his choices in opponents the last few years. There were some bigger, more challenging options that could have been explored this time around, including David Benavidez and even Terence “Bud” Crawford, but Álvarez hasn’t drawn as much heat for awarding Munguía the opportunity.
In addition to the Mexico connection, Munguía also looks like a more exciting option for Álvarez on paper than the other fighter who seemed to make for the most realistic pairing—Jermall Charlo. There was a narrative of Álvarez facing both Charlo twins as part of his new three-fight deal with Premier Boxing Champions, but the first fight against Jermell Charlo last September at T-Mobile was a bit of a snoozer.
And most of the blame fell on Jermell Charlo, who was widely accused of not caring to put up much of a fight. Jermell Charlo’s motivations were securing the massive payday that comes with facing Álvarez and getting out of the ring unscathed, according to his detractors.
Despite some whispers that Álvarez had declined, he looked every bit of the -450 (i.e. risking $450 to win $100) favorite he closed in the betting market with an easy unanimous-decision victory over Jermell Charlo.
He’s now been at least that large of a favorite in 12 straight fights including against Munguía, where Álvarez is priced as a -600 favorite with the challenger coming back at +450 (i.e. risking $100 to win $450).
Álvarez did notably lose one of the prior 11 fights, though, when he dropped a unanimous decision to Dmitry Bivol on Cinco De Mayo weekend 2022.
The Álvarez-partisan crowd sat shocked and silent at T-Mobile Arena in the aftermath of that upset. That scene won’t repeat no matter who wins Álvarez vs. Munguía. Green, white and red flags will wave throughout the venue with spirit either way.
Munguía is highly unlikely to go out like Jermell Charlo without much of an effort. Fighters like De La Hoya and Álvarez evangelize Mexican fighters by saying their trademark is passion and perseverance.
Álvarez and Munguía are pledging to put on a spectacle that will live up to the legacy they’re currently carrying on.
“With two Mexican fighters at this elite level, we’re in for a special treat,” De La Hoya said.
This story appeared in Las Vegas Weekly.