Respect, respect and more respect. That is what characterized the first meeting of Canelo Álvarez and Jaime Munguía on Tuesday afternoon in Los Angeles on the way to their fight on May 4 In Las Vegas.
In fact, the respect expressed by Jaime Munguía towards Canelo – the biggest active world boxing star – was the main reason why this fight will take place, according to the fighters and their respective teams.
The duel to be held in the T-Mobile arena will be the first in history in which two boxers born in Mexico compete for an undisputed world title in the era of the four recognized organizations.
“I am very proud of Jaime Munguía, of everything he has achieved,” said Saúl Álvarez during the crowded press conference held at a Beverly Hills hotel.
“He has always had my support and he always will. Today we have to face each other, which makes me very proud because on such an important date for Mexico, that two Mexicans are monopolizing boxing worldwide, that makes me very proud,” added the super middleweight world champion.
Jaime Munguía, 27 years old and with an undefeated record of 43-0, considered it a great achievement to be able to face “the greatest fighter of this era.”
The Tijuana native explained that showing respect for Canelo helped him get this incredible opportunity to challenge him: “I think first, obviously respect; We have been very respectful of him, of his career, of everything he has done. I think he preferred to give us the opportunity rather than give it to [David] Benavidezwho has been talking bad things about him all the time.”
A fight between Álvarez and Benavídez is what most of the public has been asking for for months and even years. But Canelo practically ruled out that fight by stating that it would not contribute anything to his career.
When speaking more about Munguía’s merits, Álvarez from Guadalajara recalled that he does not like to face Mexicans whenever he represents Mexico.
“But I think that a fighter like Munguía, respectful, who has earned the position of being here with discipline and fights… I think it is the perfect fight for the people of Mexico,” commented the legendary Canelo (60-2-2) , 33 years old.
Eddy Reynoso: “In the end they shake hands and on the 4th they are going to shake hands”
Canelo’s trainer, manager and best friend, Eddy Reynoso, elaborated on the respect shown by Jaime Munguía.
“Mexican boxing always has to be well respected, the fighters have to set the example, like Munguía, that “Things are done on good terms, they are done professionally,” Reynoso explained. “And in the end they shake hands and on the 4th they are going to hit the mother. “This is how this business should be.”.
Reynoso himself said that his fighter’s camp began a month and a half ago, including the previous two weeks in Lake Tahoe, in the Sierra Nevada in northern California. They camped in that town for their last fight against Jermell Charlo and it gave them good results.
De la Hoya: the “strategy” to get the fight with Canelo
Canelo Álvarez was kind to everyone present, except Óscar de la Hoya, with whom he was totally indifferent the entire afternoon due to the differences that have existed between them for years. The promoter gave his opinion on how the respect expressed by Jaime Munguía, the fighter he promotes, allowed him to get the opportunity of a lifetime from him.
“I think it was the key. If you are talking about Canelo wrongly or “If you’re saying that Canelo hasn’t fought anyone, if you’re pulling on him, he’s not going to pay attention to you,” De La Hoya said. “But if you tell him: ‘Look Canelo, you are the best in the world, the face of boxing’, he will consider you. So that was the strategy of trying to take this fight.”
Munguía accepted that being Canelo’s rival on the traditional Cinco de Mayo weekend and in the face of the popular clamor to want to see Álvarez against Benavídez carries a great responsibility.
“I have to assume it from now on,” said Munguía. “I have to start training much harder than normal and do a great role and a great performance on May 4.”
“We never challenged him with rudeness, we were respectful”
Munguía’s main promoter, Fernando Beltrán emphasized that respect for Canelo Álvarez is what has made this fight between Mexicans possible..
“The main reason is that we never challenge him with rudeness. “We were always respectful of Canelo, we always respected him and we always said that we have a lot of sporting admiration for him and that it would be a dream to fight him, instead of disqualifying him and telling him that he was afraid of us.”
When La Opinión asked Beltrán, a man with a long history leading excellent Mexican champions, how he can beat Canelo, his answer was realistic and at the same time tempting for fans.
“Well, he is an extremely strong fighter, extremely intelligent and I think it’s going to be a difficult fight. But among Mexicans the technique is forgotten after the second round and they begin to give everything“.
Keep reading:
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– Abel Sánchez, former GGG coach, believes that Canelo could knock out Jaime Munguía in the end