Saul “Canelo” Alvarez retains his unified super middleweight title against Jaime Munguia

Those who consider Canelo (61 wins, 2 draws, 2 losses) in decline will point out that for the first time in his career the superstar has just gone five fights without inflicting a knockout. Others will note that the super middleweight (-76.2kg) has further tarnished the pristine CV of an undefeated boxer and that no other undisputed champion has defended his titles four times in the four-man era belts. Both groups should at least agree that he clearly dominated Jaime Munguia (44 fights, now one defeat), beaten unanimously by the three judges.

“ I take my time, I have a lot of experience”Saul Alvarez commented, his face barely marked. “I have twelve rounds to win the fight. I delivered a good performance and I am proud of it. The whole world was watching Mexicans tonight (SATURDAY). ”Viva Mexico cabrones”! ».

After an American anthem nicely played by a group of mariachis, obliging Cinco de Mayo, Munguia began to be the most aggressive. He had a good portion of the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas behind him for this first world championship between Mexicans in this category. But at 33, Canelo, a brilliant counter-striker, still has the chin, defense and power to deter a puncher like the Tijuana boxer.

Canelo, the right to do whatever he wants

In the fourth round he delivered a right uppercut. His young compatriot (27 years old) tasted the carpet for the first time in his career. He got up quickly but the blow cooled him down and the aggression partially disappeared. “I felt good at the start, I won the laps. But he is a fighter with a lot of experience. Unfortunately he hit me, it hurts”he admitted.

“He’s strong, but he’s a little slow. I saw all the shots coming”, explained Alvarez, who never sat down between rounds. In good physical shape, he also had a sharp eye. According to Compubox, the champion hit 43% of his 536 shots. In the sixth, a huge arm hook sent Munguia back. A body shot caused him to fail in the seventh. At the very end of the match, another front-on-front sequence shook him. Quite far from “the changing of the guard” Mexican boxing, predicted by promoter Oscar De La Hoya.

Canelo is used to boxing twice a year, in May and September. And as after each of his fights, fans of the noble art are crossing their fingers that the next one will be against David Benavidez. He did not give a clear answer, other than that there is no one better than him in boxing today and that he has earned the right to do what he wants.