Promoter Eddie Hearn expects Canelo Alvarez to stop Jaime Munguia this Saturday, but admitted the Mexican veteran’s age could come into play the longer the fight lasts.
Canelo defends his undisputed title against fellow Mexican Munguia this Cinco de Mayo weekend (May 4), in what has been billed as the old champion versus the hungry challenger.
The four-weight world champion has boxed 64 times as a professional, but performances against Dmitrii Bivol, John Ryder and Jermell Charlo have raised questions about whether the 33-year-old’s best days are behind him. Alvarez may have defeated both Ryder and Charlo but he failed to finish the job inside the scheduled distance.
Munguia has looked strong since his move up to super middleweight, scoring a 12th-round knockdown on his way to victory over Sergiy Derevyanchenko – before Munguia did what Canelo couldn’t do in stopping Ryder last January.
“I think it’s a very tough fight,” said Hearn. “I spoke to Canelo the other night; he really fancies it. He said training has gone fantastically well. Munguia is going to be all action, it’s the first time in a long time that Canelo’s fought a fighter that’s young, undefeated and will really stick it on him.”
The Bivol defeat opened a run of nearly three years for Canelo without a stoppage win, with his last coming in the 11th round against Caleb Plant. Alvarez had both Ryder and Charlo down in their respective clashes, but failed to finish the job down the stretch, something he was able to do against Plant.
While Hearn expects Canelo to secure his first stoppage win in three years, the champion’s age could catch up with him if the fight progresses into the later rounds.
“I think if the fight goes deep, it will be interesting,” added Hearn. “When you get to Canelo’s age, sometimes the body can break down a bit. But he’s a brilliant fighter and I’m very confident. I expect him to win by stoppage.”
Munguia proved he not only carries power in the later rounds against Ryder but he was not short on stamina, either.
The Mexican unloaded a barrage of shots that proved to be too much for the Brit, who was pulled out after two knockdowns in the ninth round. Canelo’s matchup against Munguia is an intriguing one but has been showered with criticism after calls for him to face David Benavidez were ignored.
