Jaime Munguia entered his bout with John Ryder on Saturday at the Footprint Center in Phoenix with a reputation as a dominant offensive machine with a strong chin and a propensity for major defensive miscues.
He left it pretty much the same way, even if he was a lot better offensively with Freddie Roach in his corner Saturday than he'd been previously with Erik Morales.
Munguia dropped Ryder four times, including twice in the decisive ninth, and forced Ryder's corner to mercifully throw in the towel at 1:25 of the ninth. The question, though, entering the bout wasn't whether Munguia could deal with the likes of the tough though limited Ryder. Rather, it was how he'd do against the elite at 168, guys like Canelo Alvarez, the undisputed champion and David Benavidez, the interim WBC champ.
Promoter Oscar De La Hoya said of a potential Alvarez-Munguia match, "That's the fight to make." So we may get the chance to find out how ready Munguia is for the elite level opponents.
That question remains open, though given Munguia's varied offensive arsenal, a bout against Alvarez would undoubtedly be entertaining. Munguia is 43-0 with 34 knockouts now and is at a point where there aren't many B- or C-level guys that make sense any more. He's an entertaining fighter whose best defense is a hard-to-damage chin.
Roach spoke to KevinIole.com after the fight and was largely pleased, though he said he'd like more time in the gym working things out with Munguia before he moves on to Alvarez. He wasn't happy with how long it took Munguia to break free from the clinches.
"Yeah, I need to get him ready, get him better," Roach said when asked if he needed more time before an Alvarez fight. "Erik Morales just told me [Munguia] was a little slow tonight and I said, 'OK, that's what I have to work on.' I didn't think he was [slow]. When he let his hands go and threw his combinations, it was beautiful. But he got into clinches and didn't get out and they tied each other up too much."
Is Alvarez next? Well, that's up to the future Hall of Famer and whom he chooses to fight, but Munguia wouldn't complain if that were next.
Alvarez is a precision puncher, and it would be a terrific, fan-friendly fight for however long it lasted.
"That would be a great fight for the Mexicans," Munguia said. "If Canelo would give us the chance, it would be an honor to be in the same ring as him."
Munguia managed to close the distance in the second round and once he did, he was in full control. He dropped Ryder once each in the second and the fourth and twice in the ninth before referee Wes Melton stopped it after trainer Tony Sims threw in the towel.
He created angles against the left-handed Ryder and scored consistently with a sharp, powerful straight right and a solid left hand to the body. He was, as he usually is, an offensive juggernaut. That's never been the problem. And Roach praised his work ethic, which Munguia.
"I'm very happy [because] I worked really, really hard for this," Munguia said in the ring following the stoppage. I know a lot of people didn't believe in me, but this is a result of hard work. We're ready for 168."
He's clearly a super middleweight, and a good one. Most fighters who are 43-0 with 34 knockouts can be classified as great, but it's still too early to say that about Munguia. He's largely been protected and hasn't had that consistent high-quality level of opponent.
There is, though, not much more for him to do at the weight other than face the big boys. If it's not Alvarez, a Benavidez fight, or one with David Morrell would be a good test.
Roach raved about Munguia's work in the gym. They had a two-week stint together in the summer, and then began working full-time beginning in late November. Munguia worked hard, Roach said, but the Hall of Fame trainer said he'll demand Munguia picks it up when they reconvene in a couple of months.
"He can do better, but you know what?" Roach asked, rhetorically. "He has to do better than this first one in his next one. This fight was at a high level, but we have to be better every time out now. And we will be. Believe me. We will."