Jaime Munguia: I respect Canelo Alvarez as a fighter, but will do everything to win

Jaime Munguia goes up against Canelo Alvarez on Saturday, May 4 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The undefeated challenger looks to claim the undisputed super middleweight title against fellow-Mexican star.

Ahead of their highly anticipated showdown on Cinco de Mayo weekend, Jaime Munguia (43-0, 34 KOs) held an open workout at Wild Card Boxing Club. Tijuana’s 27-year-old former super welterweight champion expects an exciting and memorable fight against Guadalajara’s 33-year-old Canelo Alvarez (60-2-2, 39 KOs), who makes the fourth defense of his 168 lbs title.

“Camp is going very well. Hands down, this has been my best training camp. Working with the legend Freddie Roach has really motivated me. He has my confidence very high and has helped me so much.”

“When I first got this fight I was excited because I know how big of an opportunity this is. I would just tell everyone that I’m 100% ready for this fight.”

“Not only is this big for boxing, but it’s huge for my country. I can’t wait to represent Mexico in the ring on May 4.”

“I’m very happy about this opportunity. I’m excited because there’s no better way to represent the Mexican fans than competing on Cinco de Mayo weekend in Las Vegas.”

Jaime Munguia | Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy Promotions
Jaime Munguia | Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy Promotions
Jaime Munguia | Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy Promotions
Jaime Munguia | Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy Promotions
Jaime Munguia | Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy Promotions
Jaime Munguia | Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy Promotions
“Training with Freddie has been great. He’s brought a lot of peace and tranquility to my corner. He’s a wise trainer with a lot of experience.”

“Any fight at this level is going to be a hard fight, but I really believe that this is going to be an exciting fight and a memorable one.”

“I’m going to go in there to do my job. I don’t care what anyone on the outside says. At the end of the day, I have to stay ready and make the most of this opportunity.”

“I’ve always kept an eye on Canelo, even when we were in different weight classes. Eventually you have to fight the best in your division and that’s where we are right now.”

“I respect Canelo as a fighter, but when you step into that ring with me, I’m gonna do my best to do my job and get my hand raised.”

Jaime Munguia | Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy Promotions
Jaime Munguia | Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy Promotions
Jaime Munguia | Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy Promotions
Jaime Munguia | Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy Promotions
In the co-feature on the card, Mario Barrios (28-2, 18 KOs) of San Antonio, Texas defends interim WBC welterweight title against Fabian Andres Maidana (22-2, 16 KOs) of Argentina. Among Canelo vs Munguia PPV undercard bouts, Brandon Figueroa (24-1-1, 18 KOs) of Weslaco, Texas defends interim WBC featherweight belt against Las Vegas’ former world champion Jessie Magdaleno (29-2, 18 KOs). Plus, Lithuanian Eimantas Stanionis (14-0, 9 KOs) defends WBA welterweight strap against two-time Olympian Gabriel Maestre (6-0-1, 5 KOs) of Venezuela.

Parviz Iskenderov

Parviz Iskenderov is a former Muay Thai fighter, sports manager and editor at FIGHTMAG.