LAS VEGAS – May 4, 2024 – Pound-for-pound great Canelo Álvarez turned in a vintage performance by dropping the previously unbeaten Jaime Munguia Saturday night on his way to earning a unanimous decision as Canelo Promotions presented the all-Mexican clash headlining a PBC Pay-Per-View event on Prime Video from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Making the fourth defense of his WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO 168-pound world titles, Canelo delivered another Cinco de Mayo weekend masterpiece as he took home the decision by scores of 117-110, 116-111 and 115-112. Munguia fought valiantly and was extremely busy in the ring, but Canelo consistently landed the cleaner shots across the 12 rounds. “This win means a lot,” said Canelo. “I’m glad that I gave him this opportunity. Munguia is a great guy and a great champion. He’s gonna have a great career. I’m very proud that the whole world is watching us Mexicans.” “I came out strong and was winning the early rounds,” said Munguia. “I let my hands go, but he’s a fighter with a lot of experience. The loss hurts because it’s my first loss and I felt strong.” Munguia appeared to have the momentum after he closed round three with a right hand that appeared to snap Canelo’s head back. However, Canelo responded like the future Hall of Famer he is and delivered the highlight of the fight in round four with a left hook-uppercut that put Munguia on the mat. “I took my time,” said Canelo. “I have a lot of experience. Munguia is a great fighter. He’s strong and smart. But I have 12 rounds to win the fight and I did. I did really good and I’m proud of it. He’s strong, but he’s a little slow. I could see every punch. That’s why I’m the best.” “There’s no doubt I would have beaten anyone else tonight,” said Munguia. “He has a lot of experience. I started well, but he’s a fighter who creates a lot of problems.” Canelo rode the momentum from that moment to dominate the final eight rounds on the way to his unanimous decision. While Munguia threw more punches than Canelo according to CompuBox (663-536), it was Canelo who held the edge in shots landed (234-170) and connect rate (44% to 26%). After sweeping the final three rounds on all of the cards, Canelo discussed his place in boxing history and his plans for what comes next. “When I retire, my numbers will say what position I’m in,” said Canelo. “I know there’s a lot of great Mexican fighters in the past, but I’m the best fighting right now. I’m gonna rest and enjoy my family. If the money is right, I can fight right now. I’ve fought everyone and I can do what I want.” In the co-main event, Interim WBC Welterweight Champion Mario “El Azteca” Barrios (29-2, 18 KOs) took home a hard-earned unanimous decision victory over Fabian “TNT” Maidana (22-3, 16 KOs) after 12-rounds. Barrios had his best moment in round three when he landed a picture-perfect straight right hand that sent Maidana down emphatically. However, Maidana, the younger brother of former two-division champion Marcos Maidana, showed his grit by rising off the canvas and staying competitive throughout the remaining rounds. “Maidana fought hard for 12 rounds like I expected,” said Barrios. “Once my eye started swelling up it was hard to find my range, but we stuck to the fundamentals, tried to find openings and came out with the victory.” Maidana’s success led to Barrios fighting with a swollen right eye that hampered him throughout the second half of the fights. Despite the limitations, Barrios out landed Maidana 139 to 84 over the 12 rounds and landed more blows in 11 of 12 frames. “I felt like this loss happened because of a lack of training time,” said Maidana. “No excuses though. I’m going to come back stronger and bring a world championship back to Argentina.” At the end of the 12 rounds, all three judges scored the fight 116-111, as Barrios retained the title and set his sights on the rest of the wide open welterweight division. “I want all the smoke at welterweight and I’m ready to fight the best,” said Barrios. “I’m chasing belts. Viva Mexico!” Pay-per-view action also saw Interim WBA Featherweight Champion Brandon “The Heartbreaker (25-1-1, 19 KOs) retain his title with a vicious ninth-round knockout via body shot over former world champion Jessie Magdaleno (29-3, 18 KOs). A former world champion at super bantamweight, Figueroa continued to show that his power has moved up with him to featherweight, scoring his second knockout in three fights at the weight. Figueroa got off to a slow start however, as Magdaleno was ahead on two of the three cards through four rounds. “I just had to be patient,” said Figueroa. “He was blocking the body shot with his arm, …
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