By: Hans Themistode
Jaime Munguia was devastated as an opportunity of a lifetime slipped through his fingers.
Following his split decision draw against Canelo Alvarez in September of 2017, Gennadiy Golovkin appeared ready to right what he believes was an injustice. With the two set to square off just a few months later, Golovkin was caught off guard as their contest was postponed due to a positive PED test from Alvarez.
While Golovkin could have opted to wait, he instead choose to take on then 21-year-old Munguia. However, due to Munguia’s age and lack of experience at the top level, the Nevada State Athletic Commission refused to sanction the showdown.
Although he was disappointed, Munguia took his rejection on the chin and began upping his level of competition. Since then, Munguia has enjoyed a world title run at 154 pounds. Currently, the Mexican star is campaigning in the middleweight division and is relishing in his lofty status as a true contender.
This past weekend, Munguia picked up his fourth win at 160 pounds, a one-sided unanimous decision win over veteran Gabriel Rosado. With Munguia improving by leaps and bounds over the past few years, the 25-year-old would like to revisit his showdown against Golovkin.
“I’m ready for Golovkin,” said Munguia to a group of reporters following his win over Rosado.
Though it’s ostensible in the mind of Munguia that he would love nothing more than a fight with Golovkin, the highly ranked contender could be forced to wait a protracted amount of time.
Presently, Golovkin is in the midst of training camp as he attempts to unify his IBF middleweight crown with WBA belt holder, Ryota Murata. The two are currently scheduled to swap fists on December 29th, at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.
Should Golovkin emerge from their contest as a unified titlist, Munguia is more than willing to step foot inside the ring with the long-reigning champion. But while Munguia is hoping that a deal between the pair can and will materialize, if it doesn’t, he has another name in mind for his next ring appearance.
“I want a fight with Derevyanchenko as well.”
Hearing his name mentioned amongst the more notable names in the division, is something that the 36-year-old Ukrainian contender enjoys. But first things first, the multiple-time title challenger is focused completely on December 5th. On the night, Derevyanchenko will square off against Carlos Adames.
A win for Derevyanchenko would put an end to his current two-fight losing streak. In back-to-back world title attempts, Derevyanchenko came up short against both Golovkin and WBC belt holder Jermall Charlo.