By: Hans Themistode
As of late, Jaime Munguia’s heart, will, and desire to become a world champion has been questioned by even his most loyal fans.
The former WBO junior middleweight titlist opted to take a much slower route on his way to a world title at 160 pounds. Although he was initially ranked the number one fighter in the WBO sanctioning body since 2020, Munguia spent the better part of the past two years gaining experience in his newfound home.
With wins over Gary O’Sullivan, Tureano Johnson, Kamil Szeremeta, Gabe Rosado, and D’Mitrius Ballard – Munguia was ordered to take on fellow highly ranked contender, Janibek Alimkhanuly, for the WBO interim crown. However, Munguia ultimately passed on the offer in lieu of a showdown against WBC titleholder, Jermall Charlo.
While both Charlo and Munguia agreed to terms, promotional and network differences saw their contest officially fall by the wayside. In addition to losing out on both title showdowns, Munguia also removed himself from a WBC world title eliminator against Carlos Adames.
Although the moves of team Munguia were perplexing, it appears as though he may have found his next opponent. BoxingInsider.com has confirmed that representatives from team Munguia are attempting to finalize a deal that would see the 25-year-old take on former two-time middleweight titlist, Daniel Jacobs.
Despite Jacobs moving up in weight in 2019, the two could square off at a catchweight of 164 pounds. Team Jacobs also revealed to BoxingInsider.com that they “love” the idea of facing Munguia next.
For the 35-year-old former titlist, the latter part of his career has been plagued with inactivity and disappointing performances. In December of 2019, Jacobs made a splash in his 168-pound debut, easily stopping Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. However, in his following ring appearance, Jacobs momentum came to a screeching halt.
In what was expected to be a relatively easy night at the office, Jacobs struggled mightily against journeymen, Gabriel Rosado. Jacobs may have ultimately eked out the victory, but many were dumbfounded when it was revealed that he was actually given the nod.
Since the controversial outcome, Jacobs was embroiled in even more controversy. The New York native ended his near year and a half spell of inactivity on the sidelines by traveling halfway across the world to take on John Ryder at the Alexandra Palace, in the United Kingdom.
While Jacobs started strong, Ryder rallied back in the second half, resulting in a controversial split decision win.
Still, even with Jacobs producing less than stellar results as of late and coming off a loss at the hands of Ryder, team Jacobs believes that the former two-time titlist will be “100%” for his possible showdown against Munguia.