By: Hans Themistode
Jaime Munguia was flat-out getting impatient.
Following the second straight withdrawal from their showdown by Maciej Sulecki, the highly-rated middleweight contender was convinced that he would be forced to wait even longer before returning to the ring. However, with the chance to take on his second straight big-name opponent, Kamil Szeremeta gladly stepped in.
The two faced off in a homecoming of sorts for the Mexican star, as their showdown took place in front of a pro Munguia crowd at the Don Haskins Center, in El Paso, Texas.
Having just taken the contest on just two weeks’ notice, Munguia (37-0, 30 KOs) proved that Szeremeta’s willingness to take the short notice fight wasn’t a sagacious decision. The Mexican native started off strong. He came out firing his jab and stayed behind it for most of the round. Seemingly content with the fast pace of Munguia, Szeremeta kept a high guard and attempted to walk his man down. In the process, the fringe contender out of Poland landed a few jabs of his own.
As the opening round came to a close, Munguia uncorked several uppercuts that didn’t find the mark. That exact punch, however, would be a constant theme throughout the fight. With the second round starting up, Munguia picked up the pace even more. He sent several combinations in the direction of Szeremeta and was undeterred with what was coming back his way.
As the rounds ticked by, Szeremeta (21-2, 5 KOs) was visibly fatigued, he breathed deeply with his mouth wide open and gave little effort on the offensive end. In the fifth round, in particular, Szeremeta appeared to be on his way out. Munguia landed numerous uppercuts which left his man rattled. While he attempted to muster up a bit of his own offense, Szeremeta resorted to holding and avoiding the big shots of the former 154 pound champion.
Unwilling to let up, Munguia kept the pressure going in the sixth. Szeremeta languished on the ropes as Munguia poured it on. As the Polish product walked to his corner at the end of the round, he appeared despondent and listless. Shortly after taking his seat, the referee stepped in to his corner to have a short conversation with the fringe contender. Moments later, he waved off their contest completely.
Following the win, Munguia was asked what he would like to do next. With no hesitation, the Mexican product called for a showdown against Gabriel Rosado, who scored a massive upset win over the previously undefeated Bektemir Melikuziev in the co-main event.