Sunday Convo: Canelo Proved To Still Be The King Or Did He?

The crowd was red hot and loud when Canelo and Munguia entered the ring on Saturday night. It was Cinco De Mayo weekend, and the fans were being treated to a battle between two Mexicans for super middleweight supremacy in honor of the Mexican holiday. When both men took their robes off, one thing that stood out was Munguia’s physique and how big he looked, especially in the bicep area. Munguia looked like he focused on his power during training camp and genuinely looked to stop Canelo.

Right from the start of the fight, Munguia dictated the pace with an excellent left jab, and when he saw the openings, he was throwing three to four punch combinations at a speed we were not used to. Munguia’s combinations were fast and initially appeared to have caught Canelo off guard. Munguia would overwhelm Canelo and make him keep his high guard up more than anticipated. In the second round, Munguia kept his speed up, but Canelo started to insert himself more with left uppercuts to the chest, a left hook to the head of Munguia, and a straight right hand. It wasn’t a lot, but it was enough to have Munguia rethink his punch sequence.

Canelo started to come on in the third round, but in the fourth, he introduced a punch that wasn’t thrown earlier, which was a right uppercut, and that sent Munguia crashing down for the only knockdown of the fight. It was the first time Munguia had ever tasted the canvas, and it happened because Munguia dipped down with his hands close to his chest while exposing his chin. It was a sequence that kept occurring from the start of the fight, but Canelo waited for the right time to reveal it, and it worked out for him.

Canelo would dominate the rest of the fight with a check left hook that he would throw as soon as Munguia began the motion of throwing his straight right hand. Canelo was able to beat him to the punch each time, and he worked on punching Munguia’s arms throughout the fight, making them tired and slowing Munguia down. It’s a technique Canelo has used for the last few years, and it has worked for him in the fights he won. In the end, there were no surprises from the judges as they saw the fight 117-110, 116-111 & 115-112 for Canelo as he earned a unanimous decision.

Did Canelo Disguise His Slow Decline With Yesterday’s Victory?

While Canelo showed his dominance, he also showed that the decline some say is occurring is real. Canelo showed his punching power on Saturday night, but that will never go away. His beard is still there, not the one on his face that was perfectly shaped up. I’m referring to his punch resistance, which is still at an elite level, but the one thing that stood out is the steady decline of his defensive reflexes. Canelo was hit with more hard, clean shots than I have seen him hit in recent fights. There were moments when you could tell Canelo thought he would be able to move his head in time, and he didn’t, but he recovered remarkably well. Munguia’s reckless offense allowed him to be successful in spots, but his inability to get his hands back in time allowed Canelo to counterpunch.

Canelo: “I’ve fought everyone, and I can do what I want”

This Munguia fight reminded Canelo that he has to pay attention to how he’s matched up. The decline of his defensive reflexes opened Canelo’s eyes a bit. Unsurprisingly, he commented that he could do what he wanted after Jim Gray mentioned the name David Benavidez, and the crowd erupted. Canelo later claimed he would take the fight if offered 200 million dollars. He is a smart fighter and an even smarter businessman. Canelo knows that playing hard to get will eventually push Turki Alalshikh to pay the amount he wants for the fight to happen in Saudi Arabia. Although he may not offer him 200 million, Turki Alalshikh will get close if he really wants to see that fight.

Who Is Really Next?

After this hard fight, Canelo needs an easier one, which would bring Edgar Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) to mind. Although Berlanga hasn’t done anything to merit a fight with Canelo, he is promoted by Eddie Hearn, who is Canelo’s pajama-wearing bestie, so it will likely happen in September. It’s a fight that wouldn’t push the needle, but somehow, Hearn will find a way to promote the event as a competitive one.

What about Benavidez? He’s got a fight on June 15, and he would have to come out unscathed and go right into another training camp if he wants to face Canelo in September. That’s a hard sell, and if they ever get together for a fight, it would have to be on a date deemed by Turki Alalshikh. Is Terence Crawford in the mix? I don’t see that happening this year, with Crawford fighting in August at junior middleweight. The only other option would be going through Top Rank and fighting Christian Mbilli, but that’s not a fight that would get fans excited either. The options are thin, which makes Berlanga the leading candidate for September.

My Three Cents

Some fighters and pundits say Canelo carried Munguia for the 12 rounds. I don’t know if I agree with that, but I lean towards Canelo avoiding risk more than anything else, hence the fight going the distance. This era of Canelo reminds me of that last chapter in the career of Floyd Mayweather Jr. Canelo will see more 12-round decision fights than knockouts, and his opponents will be either inexperienced at the elite level or aren’t a real threat to his legacy. You can forget about him ever fighting Bivol again, and guys like Berlanga will get their shot ahead of the Benavidez of the world. He’s earned that position with 65 fights under his belt, but that doesn’t mean we have to like it.