Jaime Munguia has admitted he once wanted to be like Canelo Alvarez as he prepares to take his undisputed super middleweight titles.
Munguia puts his 43-0 record on the line against Canelo on Saturday night as the pair contest the WBC, WBA, IBF, and WBO championships in Las Vegas.
Speaking ahead of the fight, Munguia was respectful but determined to end the reign of his Mexican adversary on Cinco de Mayo weekend.
“I’m very thankful to Canelo and everyone who made this fight happen. We’ve been working really hard for this fight because it will be such a big fight for Mexico.
“Canelo has always been a source of pride and motivation for me. When I was coming up in the sport, I used to say that I wanted to be like him, and now we get a chance to face him and hopefully be where he is soon.
“Not only is Freddie Roach a great trainer, but he’s also a great person and motivator. He’s always motivating us to keep going forward and keep training hard.
“We’re ready for this stage; we’re prepared for everything and will have a great fight that night. We’re very confident.
“This is just the beginning of the best part of my career. I’ve done much in my career so far, but I’m just reaching my peak now.”
On the pair being civil even when others in the room were not, Munguia added: “The respect between us is mutual. We want to be a source of pride not just for Mexicans in Mexico, but those worldwide who are expecting a great fight. It will be a great Mexican party, and I promise there will be a great fight that fans will love.”
Munguia stopped John Ryder in his last fight, the Briton who took Canelo the distance in Mexico. Munguia isn’t reading too much into that fact, though.
“Both our fights with John Ryder are two completely different fights. We just took advantage of the opportunity we saw. We know every fight is different so that we won’t take too much from Canelo’s fight against Ryder.”
In addition to the PPV being available for purchase on Prime Video, regardless of Prime membership, fans can also purchase the PPV via DAZN.com. On top of those options, fans will also be able to continue to access the telecast through traditional cable and satellite outlets, including PPV.com.
Tickets for the live event are on sale now at AXS.com. Canelo Promotions and TGB Promotions promote the event in association with Golden Boy Promotions and Zanfer Boxing Promotions.
Read all articles and exclusive interviews by Phil Jay. Learn more about the author, experienced boxing writer, and World Boxing News Editor since 2010. Follow on Twitter @PhilJWBN.
