Jaime Munguia’s decision to fight four times in 2024 may have cost him a sixth-round knockout loss to Bruno Surace last Saturday night at Caliente Stadium in Tijuana, Mexico. This was a perfect example of picking the wrong cherry.
Overconfidence
Former world super middleweight title challenger Munguia (44-2, 35 KOs) got greedy deciding to squeeze in a fourth fight of the year, and the unranked, little-known Surase (26-0-2, 5 KOs) took advantage by knocking out the Mexican fighter in front of his fans in Tijuana. This should have celebrated Munguia, but what a disaster.
Munguia looked heavier than usual in the ring, looking like he hadn’t trained as hard as he had in previous fights this year against Eric Bazignan, Canelo Alvarez and John Ryder. Apparently, Jaime took it for granted that he would defeat Surace without a problem, but man, was he wrong.
You could see Surace was going to be a problem early on after he was eliminated in the second round. The Frenchman got up and landed a lightning bolt right on Munguia’s head, which was like, ‘Whoa, where did that come from?’ No one in the 168-pound division throws punches like Surache, and Munguia didn’t see the right shots he was throwing.
The only reason why the fight wasn’t over sooner is because Bruno (26) didn’t let go. He was mostly fending off anything coming from Jaime, which was understandable. Munguia showed no respect for Surace inside the ring, throwing combinations and looking to impress the Mexican fans with a quick knockout.
Bruno Surace: “I know he is a great boxer. “So we worked on our counter shots,” said Surace. “He is a true warrior.” I want to thank him for the opportunity. This was a great experience for me. Middleweight is my real weight class. But we’ll see if (the second fight against Munguia) can happen.
A hype job?
It would be a bad idea for Munguia’s Top Rank promoters to set up a rematch with Surace. In the second fight, this smart man will fight him into oblivion, and Munguia is not good enough to beat him.
If Jaime possessed real abilities, they could put him back with Surace and expect him to avenge his loss. Mexican fighter Munguia can’t do that. He was always protected during his 11-year career. Munguia’s career would evaporate if he fought Surace again as he would likely lose. The Frenchman is smarter than him and will score another KO.
Munguia has always been a popular business. He was never placed with the killers in any of the three divisions he competed in, from 154 to 168. When he got the fight against Canelo, he lost. He and Edgar Berlanga are the same type of fighters produced plates. That was just a lie.
This defeat puts Munguia’s career in a bad position; he can’t afford another loss. His promoters at Top Rank will have to rebuild him, but they must do so in a way that matches him against notable opposition.
From day one, hardcore boxing fans saw Munguia as a hype job. He was purposely matched against cans of tomatoes his entire career to get a big money fight against Canelo Alvarez. Now that Munguia has finally fulfilled his purpose of getting a mega-payday fight against Alvarez on May 4th earlier this year, his promoters are stuck with a heavily flawed guy who still needs to be protected as always.
What’s next?
– Trevor McCambi
– Edgar Berlanga
– Jermall Charlo
– Bektemir Melikuziev
Jaime Munguia will be back 🇲🇽🙏 pic.twitter.com/jur4ltbZCu
— Top Rank Boking (@trboking) December 15, 2024
Unreal ending in slow motion 😳 #MunguyaSurace pic.twitter.com/2bE9JOTF6E
— Top Rank Boking (@trboking) December 15, 2024