In a bill that’s gone pretty much under the radar, Golden Boy and DAZN promote at Fantasy Springs, Indio this Friday night, with the vacant WBO Intercontinental Middleweight title the prize at the top of the bill, on DAZN in the USA.
Mexican wrecking ball, Jaime Munguia is looking to gain some momentum after a promising career start, and inch his way to some huge contests in 2021.
The unbeaten, WBO number one contender is eyeing big names such as WBO champion Demetrius Andrade and IBF holder Gennady Golovkin, but first he must deal with what looks like a routine assignment against Georgia-based Bahamian, Tureano Johnson.
Munguia (35-0, 28 KOs) was a mostly kept secret in Mexico, but stepped into the spotlight in May 2018, when he ripped the WBO Super Welterweight title from Sadam Ali, dropping the New Yorker four times on the way to a fourth round stoppage win.
The 24-year-old backed this up by dropping Liam Smith on route to an impressive points victory, but has since feasted on opponents a level below the elite.
He was considered fortunate to hold onto his belt in April 2019, when Ireland’s Dennis Hogan looked to have done enough to cause a major upset in Monterrey, but the judges awarded a majority decision win to Munguia.
A final knockout defence against Patrick Allottey in September twisted Munguia’s arm to move up to Middleweight, and he made his 160lbs debut in January this year, stopping the tough Gary ‘Spike’ O’Sullivan in eleven rounds.
Munguia faces Johnson, who has trouble hearing the final bell, having been stopped in the final round in each of his two career defeats.
The 36-year-old former Olympian is 1-1-1 in his last three contests, but is coming off a decent win in his last outing.
Johnson (21-2-1, 15 KOs) lost every round before being stopped by Sergiy Derevyanchenko in twelve in August 2017, and then took nearly 18 months off before returning, but could only manage an eight round split draw against the 26-13 Fernando Castaneda in February 2019.
The Bahamian was last out in July of the same year, upsetting Ireland’s Jason Quigley and forcing the decorated amateur to withdraw after nine rounds.
Prediction: Munguia will want to fire out a warning to the Middleweight division with a statement win in this one, and an early win against the largely durable Johnson will be a step in the right direction.
The Mexican will power punch in the early going, and should have drained the fight out of Johnson after the halfway mark, where he should force an early finish.
The vacant WBC International Silver Welterweight title is at stake for two unbeaten fighters, as ‘Speedy’ Rashidi Ellis (22-0, 14 KOs) meets Alexis Rocha (16-0, 10 KOs) over ten rounds on the undercard.
There’s an eliminator bout over eight rounds, as Sulem Urbina (12-0, 2 KOs) takes on Marlen Esparza (7-1, 1 KO), with a shot at the WBC Flyweight title the likely prize for the victor.
Elwin “La Pulga” Soto (17-1, 12 KOs) will defend his WBO Light Flyweight World title against Carlos Buitrago (32-4-1, 18 KOs) of Managua, Nicaragua.
Elwin Soto (17-1, 12 KOs) defends his WBO Light Flyweight World Title against Nicaraguan, Carlos Buitrago (32-4-1, 18 Os), while Uzbekistan’s Bektemir Melikuziev (5-0, 4 KOs) faces Alan Campa (17-5, 11 KOs) in a ten rounder for the NABO Super Middleweight Title.
Lamont Roach Jr. (19-1-1, 7 KOs) returns from unsuccessfully challenging for the WBO Super Featherweight title in November 2019, while Tristan “Sweet T” Kalkreuth (5-0, 4 KOs) takes part in a six round cruiserweight fight to open the broadcast. Opponents for the pair are yet to be confirmed at the time of writing.
