The veteran and superstar boxer from Guadalajara, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, as expected, managed to keep the undisputed crown of the super middleweight division (168 pounds) with a well-deserved unanimous decision over his compatriot from Tijuana, the puncher and previously unbeaten Jaime Munguia, who put up fierce resistance throughout the twelve rounds last Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, which was packed to capacity with 20,000 people divided almost evenly in favor of each of the contenders.
The fight turned out to be a tough and exciting war during the 36 minutes of action in which the owner of the WBA, WBC, IBO and IBF belts LITERALLY had to sweat it out to contain the energetic challenger, who had been underestimated by a good majority who considered him an opponent chosen with tweezers.
The challenger, six years younger than Canelo, seemed to accumulate a small advantage on the betting in the first three rounds.
However, “Canelo” did not let up and in the fourth round, after an exchange of punches, he exploded a short, powerful right upper that floored Mungia. He got up at the count of eight, staggering, but still in one piece and ready to continue. From the fifth episode until the end the fray was of exciting alternatives without the challenger ceasing in the attack of an opponent who made the best of his counterpunching ability.
From that fifth round onwards the fight had no major variations, always with “Canelo” taking better advantage against a Munguía who never stopped fighting hard and who received the prize of the applause of the audience, from one side or the other,
The spectators rewarded his courage in a bout in which he entered the ring with everything against him, as a sure loser most likely by KO, predictions that he disbanded with a performance that was even gallantly pondered by his opponent in an interview he gave to the media when he got out of the ring.
THE VERDICT AND SOMETHING MORE
The scorecards of the three judges, all Americans and from the Las Vegas Boxing Commission, were as follows: Steven Weisfeld 115-112, David Sutherland 116-111 and Tim Cheatham 117-110. Ours coincided with Sutherland’s, with Canelo being awarded 8 episodes won, from the 4th to the 8th and the last 3 plus the 10-8 in the 4th.
The loss was just the first for Munguia in 44 contests of which he has won 34 by way of a stoppage. Alvarez, who has been fighting professionally since he was 15 years old and who exposed the throne for the fourth time, achieved his 61st win, with 2 draws against Jorge Juarez and Kazakh Gennady Golovkin and defeats against retired American Floyd Mayweather in September 2013 and in May 2 years ago against Russian Dmitry Bivol, this time in a fight for the light heavyweight belt. He lost both of them on points, the first one by split decision.
It is worth noting that Saturday’s fight in Las Vegas is the first in history in which two Mexicans fight for an undisputed belt and also that the Aztec idol is the only one who has held all 4 belts in the division.
Additionally, let’s point out that Alvarez vs Munguia is part of an extensive list, and almost a tradition, of great fights between Mexicans throughout time, among which we can mention, for example, “Canelo” vs Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in 2011; Rodolfo “Chango” Casanova-Juan Zurita in the 30s; JC Chávez Sr. vs Mario “Azabache” Martínez and against Miguel Ángel González in 1998; the trilogy of Erik “Terrible” Morales-Marco Antonio Barrera and of the latter with Juan Manuel Márquez in 2007; of Carlos Zárate against Alfonso Zamora in April 1977 and the 3 of Rubén “Púas” Olivares vs Jesús “Chucho” Castlllo in 1970-71, among dozens.
Let’s finish with an extra-sporting fact, of an economic nature: The champion received a basic purse of about $35 million, not counting the benefits he will receive from broadcasting rights, PPV and box office, while Mungía is guaranteed no less than $2 million, the best purse of his young and still promising career.
