Sparks Will Fly: Canelo v Munguia Preview And Prediction

Pound-for-pound great Saul “Canelo” Alvarez looks to add to his legacy when he defends his undisputed super middleweight championship against undefeated power-puncher Jaime Munguia at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night (Sunday morning SA time), writes Quintin van Jaarsveld.

6 AM Sunday SA time

Canelo Alvarez (1.18) v Jaime Munguia (4.75) (Undisputed Super Middleweight Championship

It’s set to be a monumental Cinco de Mayo weekend as Mexican superstars square off in an explosive 12-round showdown for super middleweight supremacy.

Canelo, boxing’s top star and one of the all-time greats, showed his class when he defeated undisputed junior middleweight king Jermell Charlo by decision in September.

Whereas he was the bully, with Charlo having moved up two weight classes for the superfight, he’ll be the smaller man this time around, giving up two inches in height and one-and-a-half inches in reach. 

However, size – aside from the Dmitry Bivol fight – has never mattered to Canelo as he has the power, ring generalship and fight IQ to beat just about anyone.

Sporting a phenomenal record of 60-2-2 with 39 knockouts, the 33-year-old is a shark inside the squared circle and is driven by an unquenchable hunger to remain the apex predator at 168 pounds.

Munguia showed out in his last fight as well, recording a career-best win, a ninth-round TKO of John Ryder in January to take his record to a perfect 43-0 with 34 knockouts.

The impressive performance highlighted the improvements he’s made under the guidance of Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach and one-upped Canelo in a sense as the legend wasn’t able to finish Ryder last May.

A former 154-pound world champion, the 27-year-old is in the form of his life, having claimed four of his last five wins by knockout. Known for his all-action style, “The Demolisher of Tijuana” will take the fight to Canelo and has the power to get off some stiff shots early.

He’s not going to outbox Canelo, but he does have a puncher’s chance. Having said that, he’s far from cerebral. Up to now, his basic power game has been good enough but he’s now up against the very elite.

Nuance and sophisticated set-ups are required if you want to land a real meaningful shot against the defensively sound champion and even though he is getting a bit lighter on his feet, Munguia’s still too flat-footed to cause Canelo serious problems.

On the flip side, Canelo has all the tricks of the trade, including many Munguia’s never encountered before. He’ll find a permanent home for his shots after the first few rounds and the difference in class will become more evident as the fight goes on, culminating in a decision victory for Canelo.

Prediction: Canelo by decision.

Best Bet: Canelo by decision at 1.86.

Quintin van Jaarsveld

Quintin Van Jaarsveld is a former MDDA-Sanlam SA Local Sports Journalist of the Year and a former three-time Vodacom KwaZulu-Natal Sports Journalist of the Year. Formerly the sports editor and Outstanding Journalist of the Year award winner at The Fever Media Group, deputy editor at eHowzit, editor at SARugby.com and senior staff writer at Rugby365.com, he boasts over 15 years’ experience and is currently a freelance sports writer.