By: Hans Themistode
Jaime Munguia has thought long and hard about his next move.
The former junior middleweight titlist turned highly ranked middleweight contender was originally ordered by the WBO sanctioning body to take on Janibek Alimkhanuly for the interim 160-pound crown. However, as first reported by BoxingScene.com, Munguia has turned down the governing bodies offer as he mulls over another proposal.
With WBC middleweight titlist Jermall Charlo in need of a dance partner, the long-reigning champion has made Munguia an enticing offer. According to Keith Idec of BoxingScene.com, a tentative date of June 18th, is the reported target.
As Munguia continues to look over Charlo’s offer, he has seemingly removed himself from heading down the path of the WBO. In the end, while Munguia will always hold a special place in the sanctioning bodies’ heart, Francisco ‘Paco’ Valcarcel, the organization’s chairman, is moving on.
“We love our former junior middleweight champion, Jaime Munguia,” said Francisco ‘Paco’ Valcarcel on his social media account. “But the show must go on.”
Ultimately, a decision from Munguia could be coming in the ensuing days. Should the Mexican star accept Charlo’s offer, a showdown against the Houston native would represent his stiffest competition by far.
Since dropping his previously mentioned WBO junior middleweight title, Munguia has slowly upped his level of competition. Following two one-sided victories over Kamil Szeremeta and Gabe Rosado in 2021, Munguia has continued his winning ways with a third-round stoppage win over D’Mitrius Ballard in February, earlier this year.
In the case of Charlo, unlike Munguia, his ring appearances as of late have been few and far between. In both 2020 and 2021, Charlo has defended his WBC strap just once annually.
Despite his inactive schedule, Charlo attempted to parlay wins over Sergiy Derevyanchenko and Juan Macias Montiel – into a mega showdown against pound-for-pound star Canelo Alvarez.
Yet, with Alvarez opting to do business elsewhere, Charlo has now promptly turned his attention towards Munguia. If the two officially square off on June 18th, it will mark one full year since Charlo was last seen in the ring. The 31-year-old successfully defended his WBC crown against a tougher than expected Montiel, winning a fairly wide unanimous decision.