Boxing Updates: Barrios vs. Maidana and Others Confirmed for Canelo Alvarez vs. Jaime Munguia Undercard

Next month, on May 4, Canelo Alvarez will face fellow compatriot Jaime Munguia at the T-Mobile Arena. His undisputed titles will be on the line. Now, information related to the undercard fights at the event seems available. Outside of the Alvarez-Munguia championship fight, it features one more fight with a world title at stake.

The Cinco de Mayo opener for Canelo Alvarez comes after months of speculation about his potential opponent. He had a WBC mandatory challenger in David Benavidez. It was a fight that perhaps most of the fans wanted to see and would still prefer. However, as it happened, the fight never materialized. Then there were rumors of a line-up against Terence Crawford. Jermall Charlo, intent on avenging his brother, joined the list. The onset of the new year saw two fresh names: Edgar Berlanga and Jaime Munguia. Finally, as the race concluded, it was the WBC silver super middleweight champion who emerged as the winner.

talkSPORT‘s Michael Benson shared that the Canelo Alvarez vs. Jaime Munguia undercard on May 4th in Las Vegas has been announced. It read, “Mario Barrios vs. Fabian Maidana; Brandon Figueroa vs. Jessie Magdaleno; and Eimantas Stanionis vs. Gabriel Maestre.”

Quite a few followers questioned the absence of Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis‘ name from the list. Many expected to see a title fight between the IBF welterweight champion and the unbeaten Canadian southpaw Cody Crowley. Then some even raised queries over the ‘Boot’ and Stanionis match-up.

However, by and large, it appears most followers felt that the undercard line-up was decent and competent enough.

Titles at the Stake

Let’s take a look at how the boxers are stacked against each other.

Mario Barrios (28-2-0) vs. Fabian Maidana (22-2-0)

28-year-old San Antonio, Texas-born Mario Barrios will defend his welterweight title (interim) from Fabian Andres Maidana. It will be the second time that Barrios makes an appearance on a Canelo Alvarez undercard. Last year, on September 30, he defeated Yordenis Ugas and became the WBC interim welterweight champion. Maidana, the younger brother of legend Marcos Maidana, on the other hand, joins following a four-match winning streak.

Brandon Figueroa (24-1-1) vs. Jessie Magdaleno (29-2-0)

It’s been over 12 months since Weslaco, Texas-born Brandon Figueroa entered the ring. The 27-year-old former super bantamweight title holder became WBC interim featherweight champion after defeating Mark Magsayo on March 2 last year. It will be his first title defense against Jessie Magdaleno. The Pomona, California-born southpaw suffered his second career defeat at the hands of Raymond Ford last year, on April 8.

Eimantas Stanionis (14-0-0) vs. Gabriel Maestre (6-0-1)

Finally, the WBA (Regular) welterweight champion will be entering the ring for the first title defense against the 37-year-old Venezuelan, Gabriel Maestre. The Lithuanian champion didn’t participate in a fight last year. He won the championship on April 16, 2022, after winning a hard-fought battle against Radzhab Butaev. Maestre had been relatively active. Now based out of Columbia, he won both his bouts last year via early stoppages.

It is still not sure whether this will be the final list or whether the undercard will be subject to further changes as the fight date nears.

Canelo Alvarez became the undisputed champion in 2021 after inflicting a crushing defeat on Caleb Plant. Ever since, he has defended the title successfully three times. Unbeaten Jaime Munguia, a former light middleweight champion, grabbed his silver super middleweight championship last year after a unanimous win over Sergiy Derevyanchenko. He followed it up with a statement win over John Ryder in January this year. It was his first title defense.

Read More: Marcos Maidana Predicts Canelo Alvarez vs. Jaime Munguia to End With a ‘Knockout’

How do you find the undercard list for the Alvarez-Munguia headline fight? Please share the details with us in the comments below.

Also Read: Legendary Commentator Explains Why He Favors Canelo Alvarez Over Jaime Munguia