Pound-for-pound superstar Canelo Alvarez will return to action in less than four weeks’ time, taking on a fellow Mexican for the first time in seven years, and now the undercard for the event has been revealed.
Canelo lost out to Dmitry Bivol when he jumped up to challenge for the light-heavyweight title in 2022 and although he has won all three of his bouts since, the trifecta of unanimous-decision victories was met with criticism from some fans, who believe he should have been capable of stopping one of if not all of Gennady Golovkin, John Ryder and Jermell Charlo.
Alvarez will now face undefeated countryman Jaime Munguia (43-0), who proved that he is capable of testing the undisputed super-middleweight champion by doing what Canelo couldn’t and knocking out Ryder back in January.
The contest looks set to be an acid test as to whether Canelo is still the man to beat at 168lbs, as many feels that the time to pass the torch has come, amid the rise of contenders such as Munguia, David Benavidez and David Morrell, but Alvarez’s annual Cinco De Mayo outing provides him with the perfect opportunity to silence his doubters.
However, there is a notable absence of Mexicans on the Cinco De Mayo undercard that boasts four title fights and reads as follows:
- Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez (60-2-2) vs. Jaime Munguia (43-0) – WBC, WBO, WBA & IBF Super-Middleweight World Titles
- Brandon Figueroa (24-1-1) vs. Jessie Magdaleno (29-2) – WBC Interim Featherweight World Title
- Mario Barrios (28-2) vs. Fabian Andres Maidana (22-2) – WBC Interim Welterweight World Title
- Eimantas Stanionis (14-0) vs. Gabriel Maestre (6-0-1) – WBA Welterweight World Title
The arguable greatest prospect in America, 17-year-old Curmel Moton, is also expected to be added to the bill in due course, ahead of a mammoth event on May 4th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.