CANELO VS. MUNGUIA | FULL POST FIGHT PRESS CONFERENCE

JAIME MUNGUIA'S FIRST WORDS AFTER LOSING TO CANELO ALVAREZ

CANELO VS. MUNGUIA | FULL FIGHT

 

CANELO ALVAREZ VS. JAIME MUNGUIA FIGHT RESULTS, HIGHLIGHTS: MEXICAN CHAMP RETAINS UNDISPUTED CROWN BY DECISION

 LAS VEGAS -- Canelo Alvarez spent all fight week explaining that he's just different and was levels above his aggressive, unbeaten opponent in Mexican countryman Jaimie Munguia.

It turned out, he was right.

Alvarez (61-2-2, 39 KOs) made the fourth defense of his undisputed super middleweight title on Saturday in a masterful yet grueling unanimous decision to hand Munguia (43-1) his first pro defeat. The 33-year-old Mexican icon took home judges' scores of 117-110, 116-111 and 115-112. CBS Sports scored it 118-109 for Alvarez.

The fight headlined a Cinco de Mayo weekend card inside T-Mobile Arena as Alvarez faced off against a fellow Mexican-born opponent for the first time since he dominated Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in 2017.

Despite a hot start from the upstart Munguia, a 27-year-old native of Tijuana who is trained by Hall-of-Famer Freddie Roach, Alvarez rallied to floor his opponent with a beautiful right uppercut in Round 4 just as Munguia was heating up. Despite plenty of phonebooth action the rest of the way, the speed and accuracy of Alvarez's counter shots proved to be the difference.

"It means a lot. I wanted to thank Jaime for this opportunity," Alvarez said. "He's a great guy and a great champion and will go on to do very good. All the world was watching us, the Mexicans and I am proud. Viva Mexico!"

CBS Sports was with you throughout the entire way on Saturday with the live results and highlights below. 

Fight card, results

Canelo Alvarez (c) def. Jaime Munguia via unanimous decision (117-110, 116-111, 115-112)

Mario Barrios (c) def. Fabian Maidana via unanimous decision (116-111, 116-111, 116-11)

Brandon Figueroa (c) def. Jessie Magdaleno via ninth-round TKO 

Eimantas Stanionis (c) def. Gabriel Maestre (117-111, 118-110, 119-109)

- Brian Campbell 

'A DIFFERENT ERA FOR ME': CANELO'S NEW APPROACH ISN'T TO SATISFY HIS CRITICS

Canelo Alvarez, above, is facing Jaime Munguia on Saturday, the first time two fighters from Mexico will compete for an undisputed championship in the four-belt era. Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images

LAS VEGAS -- Canelo Alvarez removed his designer sunglasses to reveal the sort of deadly serious expression that's all too familiar to his 39 knockout opponents.

Only this time, the target of his white-hot rage wasn't another fighter -- at least not an active one -- but Oscar De La Hoya, the Hall of Fame boxer who promoted Alvarez from 2010 until their ugly breakup in 2020.

For the first time since November 2019, Alvarez and De La Hoya shared a stage during fight week as Alvarez prepares to defend his undisputed super middleweight championship against fellow Mexican Jaime Munguia on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena (8 p.m. ET, Prime Video PPV).

Munguia (43-0, 34 KOs) is co-promoted by De La Hoya, who once occupied Canelo's position as the face of boxing for much of the 1990s and 2000s. And while "The Golden Boy" taunted Alvarez with digging remarks about the star fighter's character, taking aim at Alvarez's failed drug test ahead of his 2018 rematch with Gennadiy Golovkin, Munguia could only laugh.

"Yes, there were times that work was not my priority based on my mental health, which I had neglected for so long," De La Hoya told Alvarez. "But that doesn't change the fact that Golden Boy built Canelo over this period."

Alvarez (60-2-2, 39 KOs) responded with an expletive-laced tirade on the "idiot" he despises, saying, "try not to forget that I was already Canelo when I came to the United States and that he only profited from my name. He never lost a single cent, but instead made money. Have you already paid Golovkin what you wanted to steal from him?"

De La Hoya told ESPN on Wednesday that GGG was paid "everything he's owed" following Golovkin's 2022 lawsuit against Golden Boy Promotions, which sought upward of $3 million. On Thursday, De La Hoya sent Alvarez a legal letter demanding that Canelo cease and desist from further "defamatory allegations" and retract his comments.

Alvarez showed Wednesday he still has plenty of fight left in him -- a burning desire after all these years to hit back at foes inside and outside the ring. In an era where boxers usually train near the comforts of home, Alvarez once again went away for training camp to his cabin in the mountains of California near Lake Tahoe in Truckee.

Alvarez now appears to be entering a different stage of his career, where he flexes his muscle as the sole face of boxing. During his storied career, he often sought out the sport's most-avoided fighters -- Dmitry Bivol, Austin Trout and Erislandy Lara among them -- in search of legacy.

Days ahead of his 65th pro fight and two months shy of his 34th birthday, Alvarez's place in boxing history is undoubtedly secured. He'll be a first-ballot Hall of Famer whenever he retires, with a chance to surpass Julio Cesar Chavez as Mexico's all-time greatest boxer.

Canelo has been a staple of boxing's pound-for-pound list (currently ESPN's No. 4) for two decades, delivering matchups fans clamored for, most notably a classic trilogy with GGG. Lately, he's resisted increasing public demand for a clash with rising star David Benavidez, who occupies the No. 2 position in ESPN's super middleweight rankings.

But rather than Benavidez, Alvarez will defend his 168-pound crown vs. Munguia on Cinco de Mayo weekend. The champion is a -550 favorite, per ESPN BET, to turn back ESPN's No. 4 168-pounder.

"[Benavidez] brings nothing to the table for me," Alvarez said in March at a news conference in Beverly Hills, California. "He just brings 25 extra pounds on the night of the fight. That's it. ... If a promoter who I work with offers $150 to $200 million, then I'll fight tomorrow. That's the only reason I'll fight with him."

De La Hoya earned hundreds of millions during his run, just like Alvarez after him, and faced the same pressure to continue taking on the toughest challenges.

"When a fighter mentions a number that high, $150, $200 million, in other words, I don't want to fight him," De La Hoya told ESPN last month. " ... Canelo comes in after [Floyd] Mayweather [as boxing's top star] and he's setting the example that it's about the payday. ... The whole world wishes that he would fight Benavidez and lead by example.

"That fight must happen. We're on a good roll right now with having good fights, and we must continue to make those big fights happen. And for the first time in a long time, the casual fan is asking for this fight. It's kind of like Mayweather-[Manny] Pacquiao. It's that type of situation. So it'll be a shame if Canelo doesn't [fight Benavidez]."

EARLY IN HIS career, Alvarez built a reputation for chasing risky fights. At age 20, he squeezed past Trout, a tricky southpaw who was virtually unknown. Months later, in September 2013, Alvarez challenged his predecessor as boxing's top star, "Money" Mayweather.

Alvarez was still developing and not in his prime yet, but he was already a star. Still, he made weight concessions (a catchweight of 152 pounds) to land the career-best opportunity with Mayweather and was soundly dominated. Alvarez later credited that junior middleweight title fight defeat as a learning experience that would carry him to the top of the sport, and keep him there.

It was another nine years until Alvarez would lose again. He found himself in a much different position but nonetheless pursued the more challenging matchups. Rather than defend his four 168-pound titles vs. Jermall Charlo, a middleweight, Alvarez elected to challenge Bivol for his 175-pound championship in May 2022.

Like Trout, the Russian boxer possessed talent that far exceeded his profile. Bivol went on to rout Alvarez in a fight that knocked Alvarez from his pound-for-pound perch. That's why, it appears, Alvarez has no problem saying no this time around to Benavidez.

He absorbed criticism for the setback despite it being just his second fight at 175 pounds. The loss still eats at Alvarez; Canelo told ESPN he remains interested in a Bivol rematch at light heavyweight.

"Everybody say 'no, it's an easy fight,' but I knew [Bivol] was a really good fighter and another weight class," Alvarez said. "So I take my risk. And I always fight with every single fighter ... and I always prove myself there and I always prove [to] everybody. But not anymore. I'm tired of that because it's never is going to be enough for them. I'm going to do this for me, for my people and that's it."

Indeed, fans will always lobby to see another new fighter land the Alvarez matchup. That's the nature of boxing when you're the top star. It's with good reason that an Alvarez-Benavidez fight is so highly anticipated.

"I think it is a different era for me," Alvarez told ESPN last month. " ... If you see my history, it's always somebody else [fans want me to face] when I have a fight. ... Right now with Benavidez. It's always there. So I don't really focus on that anymore because it's never going to be enough for some people."

"I always fight the best out there and I'm happy with my career and I'm in a position [where] I can do whatever I want because I fight for it," he added. " ... I sacrifice myself and ... I deserve this position because of everything I did before."

Alvarez still appears near the peak of his powers following a pair of dominant victories last year over John Ryder and Jermell Charlo. Alvarez broke Ryder's nose in a Mexico homecoming last May, and four months later outboxed Charlo, who refused to engage. Canelo floored both opponents.

David Benavidez, left, ESPN's No. 2-ranked super middleweight, has been clamoring for a fight against Canelo Alvarez. David Becker/Getty Images

Benavidez, too, enjoyed a banner 2023 in what amounted to a breakout campaign. In March, he outpointed Caleb Plant, whom Alvarez stopped in November 2021, and TKO'd Demetrius Andrade in November. Benavidez doled out brutal beatings in both bouts, raising the volume on the calls for a summit meeting with Alvarez.

"I'm not going to be waiting on Canelo," Benavidez told ESPN in March. "After I fight Canelo, my career doesn't end. It's frustrating, but it gives me a bad name at the end of the day, too. ... The reason why this fight is not happening is because Canelo doesn't want it to happen, plain and simple."

There's little doubt Benavidez -- a volume-punching machine with power in both hands -- would present a dangerous challenge. He's much bigger than Canelo, for one. Alvarez won his first title at 154 pounds and is 5-foot-8. Benavidez is 10 years younger, 36 fights fresher and is a career 168-pounder at 6-foot-2 with a 4-inch reach advantage over Alvarez.

When he couldn't entice Canelo into the ring, Benavidez moved up to 175 pounds for a June 15 bout with former champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk.

Canelo Alvarez, right, defeated Jermell Charlo, who moved up two divisions for the fight, by unanimous decision in late September. EPA/ETIENNE LAURENT

WHEN ALVAREZ SIGNED a three-fight deal with PBC last June, hope grew that the move would lead to an eventual clash with Benavidez, a longtime PBC boxer. Alvarez went on to face Jermell Charlo in the first fight of the deal, with plans to meet his twin brother in the second bout of the agreement on Saturday. But after Jermell's listless performance, the fight against Jermall became a hard sell.

"What Jermell did in the last fight is not going to be good for the eyes on the people," Alvarez said. "It's going to be the same guy. Oh, his brother did a really bad fight. And I think this fight with Munguia is better than the Charlo fight. I think he deserved the fight. He win good fights, he improve a lot and he's very respectful to me. So I think he deserve it more."

As Canelo advances to the latter part of his career, respect appears more important to him than ever before. He's always shown respect to his opponents, and isn't looking to reward fighters, he said, who don't reciprocate. He laughs at the thought he should punish disrespectful fighters by gifting them the career-high payday that accompanies a shot at the sport's top star.

"Let me beat you, give you big-money payday," Alvarez said mockingly. "No, not anymore. ... Respect is important. And I know it's a fight, but when I fight, I fight with a lot of fighters who talk a lot of s---, talk a lot of things, and they don't do s--- in the ring."

Plant earned a career-high $10 million, and Munguia will exceed that amount. Benavidez has never earned more than around $3 million. Alvarez isn't concerned with critics at this stage, especially his former promoter-turned-rival. De La Hoya offers a unique perspective as a fighter who starred atop the sport -- from his 1992 Olympic gold medal win to his final fight against Pacquiao in December 2008.

"The way I saw it was whoever I have to fight, and he's the best, I fight," De La Hoya said. "I didn't worry about no payday [for the opponent]. I always put my legacy first. What is it going to take for me to get to the top? What is it going to take for me to be considered the best? Well, I have to fight the best."

Jaime Munguia, left, and his promoter, Oscar De La Hoya are very confident they can beat Canelo Alvarez. Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy/Getty Images

MUNGUIA MIGHT BE a consolation prize in Benavidez's absence on the right side of the marquee, yet it's still an anticipated matchup, especially for Mexican fans. Munguia represents Alvarez's first countryman foe since Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in May 2017.

Canelo has long said he doesn't wish to fight fellow Mexicans but made an exception for Munguia. "This is history for Mexico because it's the first time two Mexicans, they going to fight for four belts."

"Munguia is a really good fighter," Alvarez added. "It's a young fighter who throws a lot of punches, who is strong, who is hungry. So it's a risk for me."

A risk, perhaps, but a small one compared to the perils of fighting Benavidez.

"Fighters usually know, absolutely," De La Hoya said. "... There's a tiny fear in every fighter. There has to be. Even Mike Tyson will say there's a tiny fear, and that fear is always losing. [Benavidez is] a younger guy, he's the bigger guy, he's fast, he's strong, he throws a lot of punches. See anybody throwing punches and punches will be a problem for Canelo at this point of his career. ... He'll get knocked out. He will get beat.

"Obviously he's a businessman," he added. "That's exactly what he is at the fourth quarter of his career ... and there's nothing wrong with that, but at least have some balls to fight the best guy in front of you."

Alvarez will head into Saturday's fight looking to maintain his undisputed super middleweight championship, his No. 4 spot on ESPN's pound-for-pound list and, most of all, his ironclad claim as the face of boxing.

A win over Munguia likely won't come as easily as his two previous victories. After all, Munguia is fresh, strong, unbeaten and determined to dethrone a man he's long dreamed of fighting.

The former junior middleweight titleholder is coming off a career-best victory, a ninth-round TKO of Ryder in January. Munguia's previous outing was named ESPN's 2023 Fight of the Year, a bout against Sergiy Derevyanchenko where a final-round knockdown earned Munguia the decision.

It's also a full-circle moment for Munguia. As a 21-year-old, he agreed to replace Alvarez following his PED suspension and fight GGG, only for the Nevada commission to decline approval, citing Munguia's inexperience. Six years to the day later, Munguia has his life-altering opportunity, and he's much more prepared for the shot.

"Working with the legend Freddie Roach has really motivated me," Munguia said last month following a workout at Roach's Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, California. "He has my confidence very high and ... he's brought a lot of peace and tranquility to my corner."

Canelo is at peace, too. At peace with his legacy, his standing in the sport and, most of all, his freedom to fight whomever he pleases.

"I just want to do whatever I want and put obviously really good fights out there," Alvarez said. " ... I think when you deserve it, when you did everything, when you fight with everybody, when you do the correct things, I think you can do whatever you want."

- Mike Coppinger, ESPN

CANELO VS. MUGUIA: UNDERCARD DRAWS CRITICISM AHEAD OF SATURDAY NIGHT SHOWDOWN

 Fans are questioning the hefty $89.99 price tag for this Saturday’s Canelo Alvarez vs. Jaime Munguia PPV card, given that the undercard lacks any interesting fights to justify the high cost of ordering the event on Amazon Prime Video and DAZN PPV.

 Canelo (60-2-2, 39 KOs) will defend his undisputed super middleweight championship against Munguia (43-0, 34 KOs) in the main event. That’s a solid match-up, but it’s not the blockbuster that would justify the near hundred-dollar price the organizers are charging for the event.

The Warm-Up Undercard Fights

Mario Barrios vs. Fabio Maidana: In the co-main event, Mario Barrios will defend his WBC interim welterweight title against Fabian Maidana, who is best known for being related to Marcos Maidana. Fabian isn’t ranked in the top 15, and his best career win came against Andrey Klimov in 2018.

Brandon Figuera vs. Jessie Magdaleno: Former WBA super bantamweight champion Figueroa (24-1, 18 KOs) lost to his title in 2021 and now holds the WBC featherweight interim belt after beating Mark Magsayo. Figueroa will defend his interim belt against the 32-year-old former WBO 122-lb champion Magdaleno (29-2, 18 KOs), who is coming off a one-sided 12-round unanimous decision against Raymond Ford last April.

Eimantas Stanionis vs. Gabriel Maestre: Stanionis defends his WBA ‘regular’ welterweight title against #4 ranked WBA contender Maestre (6-0-1, 5 KOs) Maestre is a 2012 Olympian from Venezuela, who hasn’t been tested at the professional level against quality opposition yet. He has a 10-round draw against Taras Shelestyuk in 2022.

Organizers Need to Sweeten the Deal

Fans feel the Canelo-Munguia fight is not interesting enough to warrant the steep price without a worthwhile undercard.  They see the undercard as being just thrown together with washed-up guys and paper champions.

Stanionis and Barrios aren’t viewed as true champions, and Figueroa and Magadeno are viewed as over-the-hill. Fabian Maidana isn’t a world-class fighter, and Maestre is an older guy with 7 fights on his resume against weak opposition, and he already has a draw on his resume.

Given the poor undercard, fans aren’t excited about paying the $89.99 price tag to order the Canelo-Munguia card on Amazon Prime Video PPV, DAZN PPV, and PPV dot com.

The organizers aren’t going to drop the price of the event, but it would be in their best interest to add a worthy fight to the undercard to motivate fans to purchase the event and give the ones that have their money’s worth.

- Tim Compton

BOXING ROUNDTABLE: IS CANELO ALVAREZ REALLY AVOIDING A MASSIVE SHOWDOWN WITH DAVID BENAVIDEZ?

Saul "Canelo" Alvarez has risen to a position as the face of boxing and the best fighter of his era through a career that saw him constantly challenging himself. From chasing big fights to moving up through weight classes, the current undisputed super middleweight champion could rarely be accused of avoiding a challenge.

That is why Alvarez's recent behavior has been so jarring for many in the boxing world.

Alvarez is set to fight Jaime Munguia in May, once again choosing to face an opponent other than top super middleweight contender, current WBC interim champion and two-time former world champion David Benavidez.

Alvarez has suggested that a fight with Munguia is "more important" to him than facing Benavidez, while also saying he would need upwards of $200 million to be enticed into taking the fight.

With that in mind, the CBS Sports boxing experts sat down for a conversation on whether or not Alvarez is "ducking" a fight with the best challenger in his weight class.

Brent Brookhouse: While we both have a lot of respect for Alvarez and the risks he's consistently taken during his career in the pursuit of greatness, I have to ask you, Brian, can we officially declare that Canelo is ducking Benavidez?

Brian Campbell: Typically, we try to give fighters the benefit of the doubt who prioritize consistently making the biggest and most difficult fights, regardless of the leverage they have acquired due to their superstar or celebrity status. In Alvarez's case, he has years worth of goodwill attained throughout his legendary career, with very few missteps worth criticizing along the way. But it's one thing for fans or media members, straight off their couch, to question the motives or bravery of a fighter. It's another thing, however, when a star fighter's peers begin to question things. And the recent criticism from Hall of Famer Mike Tyson asking whether Alvarez is afraid of Benavidez now seems appropriate.

 Even with Benavidez's history of twice being stripped of his WBC title, which understandably prevented him from fighting Alvarez during the Mexican icon's march toward the undisputed title in 2021, it's now three years later. The fighters are also competing on the same television network and, up to this point, mostly in the same division. There are no more excuses for Alvarez, especially not when he's holding up the division by openly preventing one of the pound-for-pound best fighters in the sport from getting his hard-earned opportunity to prove himself. Oh yeah, and one more thing: the fight is among the biggest that could be made, right now, in the entire sport. What other excuses could there be against the idea that this is a duck?

Brookhouse: To be fair to Alvarez, if you look back at the time in February when he and PBC split -- before ultimately coming back together for the Munguia fight -- his own promoters seemingly weren't discussing the Benavidez fight as the next step. There were reports from Dan Rafael that Jermall Charlo and Munguia were two names being pushed for May, with PBC's Al Haymon supposedly willing to go along with the Charlo bout if Alvarez was willing to face Benavidez in September. You could say that Alvarez leaving PBC after that deal was placed in front of him could be a sort of extended duck, but it's worth noting that a fight with Benavidez was seemingly never on the table for May. With that in mind, maybe it's fair to look at September as the date for Alvarez to face Benavidez or possibly suffer a permanent stain on an otherwise mostly spotless legacy.

Barring injury, Alvarez is expected to fight in September. Can you think of any fight that would be deemed "acceptable" other than Benavidez for a September date? Charlo isn't going to be seen as an appealing option. And, while a fight with Terence Crawford may set the imagination racing, after Alvarez cited Benavidez putting on significant weight between the weigh-in and fight night, fighting someone who hasn't yet fought above 147 pounds would seem a bit hypocritical.

Campbell: Hold up, you just identified the issue right there: the weight. While I understand the realities of boxing business and the fact that Alvarez's three-fight PBC deal somehow didn't contain language about a Benavidez fight, it's Alvarez's own comments of late that have stirred the pot so negatively toward the direction of this being a duck. If you want to say a Terence Crawford fight is not possible because of the perceived lack of credit Alvarez would get for defeating someone three weight classes smaller, that's fine. But Benavidez is actually in Alvarez's division. And even though Benavidez did rehydrate to upwards of 25 pounds for his demolition of unbeaten Demetrius Andrade last November, how could Alvarez possibly justify his stance that Benavidez is too big?

The last time I checked, Alvarez knocked out Sergey Kovalev to win a light heavyweight title in 2019, returned to the division in a 2022 loss to Dmitry Bivol and once publicly teased a move up to cruiserweight to chase more history by adding to his legacy. Oh, and he also once fought Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. at a 164-pound catchweight back in 2017 against one of the biggest "weight bully" abusers in modern boxing history.

Alvarez can't have it both ways. You can't be the undisputed champion of a division only to pick and choose who you defend against. And you can't complain about being the smaller man when you have built your legend upon daring to be great. Alvarez can compare the public's demand to what he previously went through ahead of fighting Gennadiy Golovkin for the first time when critics felt he would avoid it. But if Alvarez is going to bring that back up, we also need to remember he made GGG wait two years until he was 35 for their first fight and failed a drug test ahead of their rematch.

If you don't want to defend the titles against the interim champion and No. 1 contender, drop the belts. It's as simple as that. Unless you think this is primarily about honor and not wanting to do what you are told. Does Alvarez deserve that luxury at this point? Or do you think he's simply stirring the pot for the fight to eventually be even bigger than it could have already been?

Brookhouse: It's also worth noting that Alvarez not only went up to fight Bivol at light heavyweight, but one of the reasons the rematch didn't happen as planned was that he wouldn't fold to Bivol's desire to cut to 168 to fight for Alvarez's undisputed crown because Alvarez wanted to return to light heavy for another bite at the WBA championship apple. And, before his time at super middleweight, Alvarez wasn't exactly hanging out at his weigh-in weight come fight night. It's a reality of modern boxing that guys are making big cuts and rehydrating in big ways in the 24 hours after stepping on the scale. And how are we glossing over Alvarez's most recent fight against a man (Jermell Charlo) coming up two divisions for his first fight in a year and a half?

I'd love to think Alvarez is trying to build hype for a Benavidez fight but he went undisputed in November 2021. While he was already the best super middleweight outside of Alvarez prior to doing so, Benavidez won the WBC interim title in May 2022, which added "mandatory" to his status as "best" challenger. There isn't much more hype to build. Frankly, Alvarez is being as dismissive of Benavidez as he was when he was laughing Andrade out of his attempts to crash Alvarez's post-fight press conferences.

Alvarez should dump at least a couple of his titles if he isn't committed to fighting the best in the division. Yes, it's Benavidez's fault he dropped the WBC title twice, once for testing positive for cocaine and once for missing weight, but he's the best challenger available, and if Alvarez isn't willing to give him his shot, room needs to be made for Benavidez to fight for a world title. Of course, when you've achieved the level of superstardom Alvarez has, it's easy to win a game of chicken against the sport's sanctioning bodies. It would be surprising if he jerked the wheel toward Benavidez now.

- Brent Brookhouse  & Brian Campbell

JAIME MUNGUIA RETAINS WBO INTERCONTINENTAL MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE

HIGHLIGHTS | JAIME MUNGUIA VS. KAMIL SZEREMETA