Oscar De La Hoya Predicts Canelo Alvarez’s Fate Against Jaime Munguia

Last week saw the kick-off presser for the Canelo Alvarez and Jaime Munguia fight. The two super middleweights will face off on May 4, during the Cinco de Mayo weekend. The highly anticipated bout will be aired by both DAZN and Amazon Prime, following their last December’s tie-up with PBC. The P4P legend remains a heavy favorite to win the game against an unbeaten heavy hitter. Predictably, speculations are rife about whether the P4P legend will retain his undisputed crown or yield it to the challenger. Oscar De La Hoya, for one, appears confident in his choice for the eventual winner.

The title fight is scheduled to take place at the T-Mobile Arena. It follows months of suspense over a potential opponent for Canelo Alvarez. Jaime Munguia joins the epic battle on the back of a statement victory over John Ryder, the challenger who took Alvarez the whole distance last May during the title defense.

‘The Golden Boy’, probably believes that Jaime Munguia’s relative youth lends him an advantage over the six-year-old senior Canelo Alvarez. “@jaimemunguia15, 27 years young. @Canelo 33 years OLD,” said the Olympic gold medalist. Then he further added, “I have my money on Jaime!!“

Lest some of the fans forget, Oscar De La Hoya’s ‘The Golden Boy’ Promotions handles the career of the former WBO light middleweight champion. The Tijuana, Mexico-born boxer debuted nearly a decade ago under Zanfer Promotions, a venture of promoter Fernando Beltrán Rendón. Subsequently, in 2019, Zanfer Promotions joined hands with Golden Boy Promotions to co-promote the young boxer. 

But are these the only reasons for De La Hoya to place so much confidence in Jaime Munguia?

Oscar De La Hoya: Jaime Munguia to defy the odds?

With nearly 80% of his wins secured through knockouts, the six-foot-tall WBC silver super middleweight champion packs a formidable punch. The boxing world saw it first-hand early this year. He played around with Ryder until the ninth round when he finally decided to put an end to the Englishman’s misery. For the fight, he took legendary trainer Freddie Roach’s help. Apart from the win, the combinations seem to have worked wonders in terms of improving the young boxer’s technique, especially his defense and footwork.

Like De La Hoya, Roach too believes that Munguia’s way of fighting could effectively blunt Canelo Alvarez’s attack. Though he wasn’t expecting the younger boxer to knock out the P4P great, he didn’t rule it out of the book either. “Well, I’m not expecting knock out but the thing is, I think he can knock out that opponent, yes,” Roach told FightHype.

Many of the followers found themselves disagreeing with De la Hoya. However, his belief might trigger a fresh alarm, forcing a few to reconsider the decision.

From having a WBC mandatory challenger in David Benavidez to call-outs from Terence Crawford; moreover, Alvarez had to deal with the ambitious challenge of Jermall Charlo, hell-bent on avenging his twin brother’s September loss to the champion. Finally, the list got shortened to the unbeaten young guns, Jaime Munguia and Edgar Berlanga. Both scored victories in January and February, respectively. Eventually, it was the fellow Mexican who made it through the race.

Read More: Canelo Alvarez Camp Details for Jaime Munguia Fight: Former World Champ and Title Challenger Joins Mexican to Prepare for May 4

Do you agree with De La Hoya’s conjecture? Please share your views with us in the comments below.

Also Read: “[Jaime] Munguia Is Everything Canelo Alvarez Wishes He Was With the Fans”: American Boxing Legend Makes Bold Statement