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Canelo Alvarez spent the entire fight week emphasizing that he was on a different level compared to his aggressive, unbeaten opponent, fellow Mexican Jaime Munguia. As it turned out, he was right. Alvarez (61-2-2, 39 KOs) successfully defended his undisputed super middleweight title for the fourth time on Saturday, delivering a masterful yet grueling unanimous decision to hand Munguia (43-1) his first professional defeat. The 33-year-old Mexican icon secured the victory with judges' scores of 117-110, 116-111, and 115-112. CBS Sports scored it 118-109 for Alvarez. The fight headlined a Cinco de Mayo weekend card at T-Mobile Arena, marking the first time Alvarez faced a fellow Mexican-born opponent since dominating Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in 2017. Despite a strong start from the 27-year-old Munguia, a Tijuana native trained by Hall-of-Famer Freddie Roach, Alvarez rallied to knock down his opponent with a beautiful right uppercut in Round 4 just as Munguia was gaining momentum. Although the bout featured plenty of close-quarters action, Alvarez's speed and accuracy in counter-punching ultimately made the difference. “It means a lot. I wanted to thank Jaime for this opportunity,“ Alvarez said. “He's a great guy and a great champion and will go on to do very well. All the world was watching us, the Mexicans, and I am proud. Viva Mexico!“ The pro-Mexican crowd was divided, trading chants of both fighters' names. However, Alvarez initially turned cheers to boos during the post-fight interview when asked about fighting unbeaten, two-time champion David Benavidez next, who was seated at ringside. Alvarez responded to the boos with defiance, clearly stating his intentions moving forward. “Right now, I want to rest and enjoy time with my family,“ Alvarez said, triggering more boos. “If the money is right, I can fight right now. I don't give a shit. At this point, everybody is asking for everything. When I fought [Erislandy] Lara, it was, 'You need to fight [Miguel] Cotto.' I fought all of them. I fought [Gennadiy] Golovkin and [Sergey] Kovalev. “I can ask for whatever I want right now and I can do whatever I want. And I am Mexican.“ Munguia, coming off a breakthrough knockout of John Ryder in January (the same fighter who went the distance with Alvarez in 2023), showed continued evolution under Roach. The fan-friendly brawler was more patient early on and began finding success as the visibly bigger fighter in Round 3, walking Alvarez down with combinations and constantly pinning him to the ropes. However, once Alvarez adjusted his timing in Round 4, using a combination of a flush uppercut and a short left hook to the body to drop Munguia, the momentum swung decisively in the champion's favor. Disclaimer: This material is provided for informational and educational purposes only. All content is the property of its respective owners and is used here under the doctrine of “fair use“ as codified in 17 . § 107. This rephrased content is not intended for commercial purposes and should not be distributed or reproduced without proper permission from the original copyright holders. If you are the original author or copyright holder and believe that this content has been used in a way that does not comply with “fair use,“ please contact us so that we can promptly address the issue.
