Once Upon A Time In Mexico

From humble beginnings in Tijuana to the bright lights of Las Vegas. Declan Warrington tells Jaime Munguia’s story, with some help from the man himself

- Declan Warrington

IF what appear insignificant occurrences dramatically shape the boxing landscape as often as they do entire lives, the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s rejection of Jaime Munguia as an opponent for Gennady Golovkin could prove similarly defining in the coming era.

The promising Mexican super-welterweight, just 21 years old, was considered unsuitable – overmatched against a truly fearsome middleweight – and, the NSAC concluded, incapable of resisting the beating that Vanes Martirosyan that May night instead took.

An allergic reaction that Liam Smith suffered then forced his withdrawal from a fight with Sadam Ali, creating a demand for a late notice challenger for the then-WBO superwelter champ and ultimately a void the unbeaten Munguia – therefore available and perhaps saved from Golovkin as much as from himself – was permitted to fill.

What ultimately transpired was an even more devastating victory than the Kazakh had secured in anger against Martirosyan, the emergence of a new champion and, if the dismissive beat down of Ali was any indicator, Mexico’s latest potential great.

An electric storm had led to Manny Pacquiao meeting Floyd Mayweather and eventually agreeing terms for their long-overdue fight in the same way a stolen bike is often credited with the eventual emergence of the great Muhammad Ali. When Munguia on Saturday (July 21) makes his first title defence against Smith, it is as so exciting a prospect that interest will surround his future as a fighter more than it will the nature of the fight itself.

“I’m happy I didn’t get that opportunity [against Golovkin],” Munguia told Boxing News. “It was better [I didn’t] because my career’s also better right now. Of course, I’d have done a much better job than Martirosyan; I would have gone in there with the mentality to win, the mentality to throw punches.