Canelo Rattles Munguia, Vergil Ortiz Steps Up to Tim Tszyu, Matchroom 5 vs. 5 Announced, Stephen Fulton Rumors Build!

There is something unique that happens when two great Mexican boxers cross paths with one another. The entire world stops to admire these warriors. Munguia has shown nothing but respect for Canelo and his accomplishments. In the eyes of Canelo, Munguia deserves this fight more than David Benavidez.

The class that Munguia has shown in the media is not surprising, he has been humble for many years. He uses his influence for good, providing opportunities for children back in Mexico to start boxing journeys of their own. The Mexican Super Bowl is complete. The curtains draw to a close, and the lights have dimmed on the TMobile Arena. The fans have been satisfied, the fighters each having left a piece of their soul behind in the ring.

Jaime Munguia, the undefeated challenger, was dropped hard by a left hook, right uppercut, and left hook to the body combination. The Undisputed Super-Middleweight World Champion was destructive with his power punching. Early on in the fight, Canelo Alvarez threw the left hook to the arm and body with precision. Munguia didn't react to these early body shots, but as the fight progressed, it was obvious that he began to feel them.

Canelo's power is real, and Jaime Munguia survived 12 rounds to tell the tale. The head trainer of Munguia's camp, the legendary Freddie Roach, has nothing to be ashamed of. He prepared Munguia as best as he possibly could, and through that, we received one of the best fights of the year so far. Roach and Munguia's game plan surrounded crowding Canelo with as many shots as he possibly could. The straight shots were successful, but as the rounds progressed Canelo began to catch the rhythm.

The round after Munguia got sent to the canvas, Canelo used skillful catch-and-counter techniques to crush Munguia from the outside. Canelo kept the fight simple and was rewarded greatly for it. In rounds six and seven, Munguia became more jab-heavy but found himself on the opposite end of more counterpunching. When Munguia began to rely more on his left hand, Canelo responded with beautiful up-jabs. Munguia tried his best to apply forward pressure, but Canelo would not back down.

The march forward was slow, but again, Canelo was rewarded for taking his time. Once Mexico's favorite son closed the distance, the fight never went back in favor of Munguia. The left hook to the body made an appearance again, but Munguia elevated his game to match Canelo's witty counterpunching. As soon as Canelo threw his left hook, Munguia threw a right cross that split the guard. At this point, the fight intensified. Munguia shot a right hook over the top and landed, and Canelo responded with a left hook to the head that he feinted to the body.

The two men continued to trade in the center of the ring while the Las Vegas crowd stood on their feet. Canelo broke Munguia down with precision, his age did not seem to be a factor in the match. His power, ring IQ and footwork were all present throughout the 12-round contest.

While he did get hit cleanly by Munguia, it is clear that Canelo still has the skills to remain ahead of younger competition. There were detractors who believed that Munguia would be the man to dethrone Canelo, but the screen did not show Munguia hoisting five belts above his head. Instead, Munguia was in a constant firefight with one of the best. The fight concluded with Canelo winning via unanimous decision, completing a matchup that satisfied the Mexican community and the world at large. Jaime Munguia exits this fight with a much higher stock, despite losing this fight.

He gave Canelo his hardest fight since Dimitry Bivol, even though he outclassed Munguia. The younger man did not leave with a victory, but he did leave with thousands upon thousands of new fans worldwide. His next opponent could be Edgar Berlanga, who is rumored to be up next for Canelo in September. Many do not believe Berlanga is ready for Canelo, so a matchup with Munguia would be a solid test for Berlanga and establish him as a credible challenger for the Undisputed Super-Middleweight Champion.

Canelo's next steps may be difficult to trace. It is unclear how he plans to tackle his next fight. Just shy of a year ago, Canelo signed a deal with Premier Boxing Champions. The deal he signed in June 2023 made him the highest-paid man in boxing, with only three fights being held under Al Haymon's promotion. After serious discussions began to have Canelo face Jermall Charlo, there were roadblocks that prevented him from getting the contract completed. Canelo fled PBC, and the rest is history.

Golden Boy Promotions and PBC collaborated to have Munguia and Canelo face each other, but behind closed doors, Canelo signed another deal with PBC. This made him a PBC fighter once again for one night only, which places him in the void of free agency currently. With the super-middleweight division still under his control, it is unclear where Canelo will sign next. Should he choose to return to Eddie Hearn's DAZN platform, Golden Boy and Matchroom both provide plenty of opportunities on the world stage.

Due to back-and-forth arguments in person, it is unlikely that Canelo will choose to sign with Oscar De La Hoya once again. This effectively eliminates Golden Boy from the equation. Matchroom is home to Edgar Berlanga, Dimitry Bivol, and Felix Cash. Berlanga and Bivol are both hot topics for Canelo at the moment. A rematch between Bivol and Canelo would be enticing, this fight would give Canelo a shot to avenge his loss and earn another title in the light-heavyweight division. However, this fight would be put on hold due to Bivol and Artur Beterbiev's undisputed clash, which itself has also been postponed due to an injury within the Beterbiev camp.

Berlanga, the most commercially viable option Matchroom currently has, is currently the WBO mandatory challenger for Canelo's Undisputed Super-Middleweight Championship. This fight would reignite the Mexico-Puerto Rico rivalry that has dominated boxing for decades. Berlanga brings a solid east coast fanbase with him, while also sharing a small foothold in Puerto Rico alongside contemporary Subriel Matias. Canelo, naturally, draws Mexican fans from around the world.

As mentioned earlier, many do not believe Berlanga is ready for this level of competition. A Canelo matchup may be too early in the cards for him, but in the event that Eddie Hearn, Berlanga, and Canelo decide to do business, the fight will no doubt be a success. Back at PBC, David Benavidez and David Morrell are patiently waiting their turn to face Canelo. Top Rank provides Christian Mbili, who has been steamrolling opponents in the super-middleweight division for quite some time.

He has been calling for a Canelo fight for the last year but has suffered greatly due to political differences. Benavidez and Morrell are more likely to face Canelo because of this. Boxing politics have essentially placed Top Rank fighters in the corner, with PBC fighters rarely making the jump over to Bob Arum's promotion. It is hard to see Canelo signing to Top Rank as well. A fight between Mbili and Canelo will most likely involve a co-promotion. With a variety of potential opponents on the table, Canelo and Eddy Reynoso will have plenty of work to do.

[Vergil Ortiz Crushes Dulorme, Advances to Tim Tszyu!]

Vergil Ortiz walked through Thomas Dulorme to reach the Riyadh Season card featuring former Undisputed Welterweight Champion Terrence Crawford. Ortiz crushed Dulorme with a body shot that sent him crashing to the canvas. As Dulorme gasped for air, Ortiz looked to the crowd with confidence. While Crawford is still the aim for Ortiz and other challengers between 147 and 154 lbs, Tim Tszyu is the man who will be facing Ortiz across the ring.

Ortiz and Tszyu are currently scheduled to fight live on the Crawford vs. Madrimov undercard. An interesting fact to take note of is that Tszyu and Ortiz were announced to be facing each other prior to Ortiz knocking Dulorme out. Ortiz's last scheduled opponent, Eimantas Stanionis, has cemented himself as next in line to fight whoever has the welterweight world titles.

He defeated Gabriel Maestre in a masterful performance on the Canelo vs. Munguia undercard. Ortiz has effectively looked past the welterweight division, chasing Terrence Crawford up to 154 lbs.

More importantly, Ortiz also appears to be very well recovered from the worrying illness dramas that kept him away from the WBA Welterweight Championship clash against Stanionis, and, for a time, threatened to end his career prematurely. The super-welterweight division has been shaping up quite nicely, with Sebastian Fundora being the current frontrunner.

Tim Tszyu's loss to Fundora has seen calls for the fight to be made again, but the money and influence gained by a fight with Vergil Ortiz is much louder than the cries of the public. Ortiz is dominant, swift, and reliant on ring control to batter his opponents into submission, or worse, into the canvas. Tszyu is all of this and more. His eager attitude towards punching in the pocket has rewarded him with a world championship at super-welterweight, which he seeks to regain should he defeat Ortiz.

By defeating Tszyu, Ortiz will have added another credible name to his undefeated record, and elevate himself to become next in line for Fundora's WBC-WBO Super-Welterweight World Championships. PBC and Golden Boy have just collaborated on the Canelo vs. Munguia card, so there is a chance this fight could be made in the event Ortiz wins.

If Tszyu emerges the victor, Al Haymon can keep the WBC-WBO World Title fight in-house and keep millions of dollars within the promotion at the same time. Either way, fans are in for a treat when Tim Tszyu and Vergil Ortiz exchange leather on August 3rd.

[Stephen Fulton Return Rumors Ignited!]

Stephen Fulton, the former WBC-WBO Junior Featherweight World Champion, is set to return on the June 15th card that plays host to Gervonta “Tank” Davis. This was first reported by ESPN and The Ring, who both made it known that Fulton is moving up a weight class.

Fulton, who will be debuting at featherweight, is intent on snatching up the WBA Featherweight World Championship after Ray Ford vacates it. When asked about the conditions of his return, Fulton stated, "I wanted to come back at 130 but will come back at 126 and the plan is for the WBA title. That’s my understanding, it will be against Nunez for the vacant WBA title." Before any of these plans are set in motion, Ford has to defend the title against Nick Ball on the Matchroom-Queensbury 5 vs. 5 card on June 1st.

If Ford wins and vacates, this will free up the Frank vs. Tank card to proceed with a WBA World Title fight between Fulton and New York-based Luis Reynaldo Nuñez. Fulton is shifting the cards in his camp, swapping out Wahid Rahim as his head coach in favor of Bozy Ennis, the father of IBF Welterweight World Champion Jarron “Boots” Ennis.

Fulton gave a few words on the change-up in his camp. "I am still with my man Wahid, people need to know that, but Bozy will be training me," He began. "Wahid is my manager. I trust him. We both think this is what is best for me." The Fulton-Nunez matchup adds further excitement to an already star-studded card. The event will showcase Gervonta "Tank" Davis, ranked No. 2 by The Ring in the lightweight division, defending his WBA Lightweight World Championship against Frank Martin, ranked No. 5 by The Ring. Additionally, David Benavidez, the No. 1 super-middleweight contender, will take on Oleksandr Gvozdyk, ranked No. 7 in the light-heavyweight division, for the WBC Interim Light-Heavyweight World Championship.

Fulton's last appearance was a WBC-WBO Junior Featherweight World Championship defense against Naoya Inoue, Japan’s pound-for-pound great. Fulton was knocked out by Inoue but is eager at the chance to reignite the hype train with a win against Nuñez. If all of the pieces fall into place correctly for Fulton, he will have a foothold in the featherweight division alongside Rey Vargas, Luis Alberto Lopez, and his former opponent, current WBC Interim Featherweight World Champion Brandon Figueroa.

[Matchroom 5 vs. 5 - Warren or Hearn?]

Nick Ball, Raymond Ford, Zhilei Zhang, Deontay Wilder, William "Willy" Hutchinson, Craig Richards, Austin "Ammo" Williams, Daniel Dubois, Filip Hrgovic, Hamzah Sheeraz, all on June 1st. The official Matchroom-Queensberry 5 vs. 5 card has been sending shockwaves throughout the combat sports community.

Each of the men listed has had matches happen within the last 8 months. This stacked card featuring active fighters from weight classes up and down the list has high stakes for each promoter involved. Frank Warren and Queensberry Promotions have decided to take the risk of sending their fighters to battle against Eddie Hearn and Matchroom.

This card was in development for many months, and rumors ran rampant through social media pages. After Raymond Ford snagged a world championship against Otabek Kholmatov back in March, many expected him to vacate and move up a division to super-featherweight. His WBA Featherweight World Championship match against Kholmatov was taxing physically, and Ford himself admitted that the weight cut was difficult.

Now, Ford finds himself in the fight of his life against a vengeful Nick Ball. Ball was last seen against Rey Vargas on the undercard of Zhilei Zhang vs. Joseph Parker. This fight went to a controversial draw, which denied Ball his chance at the WBC Featherweight World Championship. Ball is now out to prove himself against Ford, who fought to a tearful victory against Kholmatov just last month.

There are two heavyweight fights on this amazing Saudi Arabia card. Zhilei Zhang is looking for a quick turnaround after his loss to Joseph Parker last month. This fight was in Zhang's favor, but the fight quickly developed into a perfect storm of activity from Parker. Parker came from behind for the victory, but many people believed that Zhang deserved the nod from the judges.

This decision loss caused Zhang to drop his IBF Heavyweight Interim World Championship to Parker, who is now in true contendership for the winner of Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk. Zhang's opponent, Deontay Wilder, is also hoping to make progress in the upper region of the heavyweight division.

Wilder was confident that he would be able to showcase his new abilities against common opponent, Joseph Parker. In the end, it was Parker who showed his offensive and defensive prowess against Wilder. Again, Wilder found himself needing to rebuild after a loss.

This fight against Zhilei Zhang may just be the antidote Wilder needs to get ahead and prove to the masses that he is still hungry, still focused, and still ready to become world heavyweight champion.

In the grand scheme of the heavyweight division, Wilder is still a name that has pull, but his losses to current WBC World Heavyweight Champion Tyson Fury and this recent loss to Parker have haunted his future. Wilder successfully defended the WBC World Heavyweight Championship 10 times while he held the belt, but he never avenged his losses to Fury.

A victory against Zhang will bring Wilder one step closer to finding closure in his revenge story. Austin "Ammo" Williams has attempted to make a name for himself and break into the title picture several times already. Williams has needed a chance to shine his light on the 160-lb division internationally for quite a while. By defeating Steve Rolls, Williams secured a much-needed win to satisfy all of the people who questioned Edgar Berlanga's performance against him.

Williams moved forward with his career, once again displaying his talent to promoter Eddie Hearn and the crowd in Las Vegas by defeating Armel Mbumba-Yassa, an undefeated contender in the middleweight division. This gained Hearn's trust and faith, which is why Williams' name on the list holds weight. People who believe "Ammo" Williams has not earned this opportunity are misguided by boxing media outlets who prioritize name value, and not the hard work put in by these fighters.

The truth is, Williams has fought his way to the top, and achieved his spot on the 5 vs. 5 roster with his hard work. Williams' opponent, Hamzah Sheeraz, is walking into this matchup with the WBC Silver Middleweight Championship and the Commonwealth Middleweight Championship. He has stunned crowds across the UK with his blinding speed and intelligent punch combinations.

The undefeated Sheeraz is hoping to make a statement against Williams and challenge for a world title next. While the WBC Silver Championship is different from the WBC Interim World Title, it also guarantees automatic priority over other contenders who are ranked by the WBC. When Ryan Garcia won the WBC Silver Championship, Devin Haney acknowledged him immediately. BoxRec does not show that the WBC Silver title is up for grabs in the contest between Williams and Sheeraz, but in the event that it is, both Williams and Sheeraz have significant claim to a world title shot against WBC Middleweight Champion Jermall Charlo.

Whether or not Charlo will step out and defend the title against the winner is up for debate, seeing as how inactive Charlo has been and the promotional party lines needing to be blurred for either fight to happen. Cross-promotion between Matchroom and Queensberry was inevitable, but a cross-promotion between Matchroom and Premier Boxing Champions may be difficult to pull off again.

The last time the two promotional juggernauts collaborated was for Tank Davis and Ryan Garcia, which was a rarity.

PBC's CEO, Al Haymon, is very well known for keeping his fights in-house. Haymon may be reluctant to let Charlo free because it will risk losing an important foothold in the middleweight division. If Frank Warren and Eddie Hearn can do great business for the sake of boxing, then Al Haymon can too. It is best to have hope, and as we always say on DQ w/ Damani, keep an open mind.

William "Willy" Hutchinson is a unique name on this list because of his transition from light-heavyweight, to super-middleweight, and back to light-heavyweight. Hutchinson won regional titles in both, adding to his credibility as a challenger for true world-level gold. Hutchinson's best feature as a fighter is his lightning-quick counter right hand. He can throw it from almost any position. In his last contest against Martin Houben, he hurt him with this shot in the opening round.

Interestingly enough, Hutchinson also threw this shot from his back foot. Houben reeled back from the shot and hit the ropes, which allowed Hutchinson the time and space to throw a barrage of strikes. This win gave Hutchinson the WBC International Light-Heavyweight Championship, which has put him in the crosshairs of Craig Richards.

Richards, currently ranked 11th, used his power to cruise to a TKO victory in his last match. This victory over Boris Crighton gave him the push necessary to get placed on the card against Hutchinson. Entering this fight with 2 wins in his last three, his loss to Joshua Buatsi softens the blow of his record. Richards' loss to Buatsi has aged well, seeing as how well Buatsi performed against fellow light-heavyweight contemporary and countryman Dan Azeez.

Richards is ranked fourth in the UK, sitting just behind Anthony Yarde and Buatsi, the man who bested him by unanimous decision. Between the two men, only one has seen world-championship opposition before. Richards faced off against Dimitry Bivol in 2021, who he took the distance. Hutchinson is yet to fight for a belt. The man event pits WBA-IBO Light Heavyweight World Champion Bivol against WBC, WBO, and IBF Light-Heavyweight World Champion Artur Beterbiev. It is not out of turn to say that the winner of Hutchinson and Richards should face the winner of Beterbiev and Bivol.

Although Richards has already had a shot at one of the champions, he could redeem himself. As for Hutchinson, advancing to the world title would be an interesting first appearance. Beterbiev and Bivol will have to dig deep if they hope to dismantle the crafty Hutchinson.