Former world champion Jaime Munguia has targeted IBF middleweight king Gennady Golovkin for a potentially intriguing Cinco De Mayo weekend encounter.
Munguia (36-0, 29 KOs) almost faced ‘GGG’ back in 2018 before the Nevada State Athletic Commission stated the young Mexican lacked the credentials to meet a world class operator. He subsequently won the WBO 154lbs crown and carved a reputation as an all-action, hard-hitting commodity.
Now Munguia wants Golovkin (41-1-1, 36 KOs) again, with more experience at top level in the bank and the stiff-punching Kazakh apparently past his fighting peak. Should that fight not be feasible, Munguia will find an alternative foe in April, says co-promoter Fernando Beltran of Zanfer Promotions.
“Munguia with Golovkin is a fight that I like a lot, we are looking for it, but in the event nothing is achieved – we will fight in April. We are not going to wait around until they say [they are ready],” Beltran told ESPN Deportes.
“For a long time, [Munguia-Golovkin] has reminded me a bit of when Erik Morales dethroned Daniel Zaragoza to reach stardom. Jaime has everything to be a star and that is why we seek to keep him active and improving. He is the champion of the people for his dedication in the ring and his spectacular style.”
Golden Boy Promotions president Eric Gomez, who co-promotes Munguia in the US, also told ESPN Deportes: “We had some talks with our partner Fernando Beltran and we are looking at that possibility. There is a lot of interest. We obviously have Jaime Munguía in mind for boxing events on the Cinco De Mayo weekend and, if not Gennady Golovkin, we are looking at other options.”
Main photos: (L) Golden Boy Promotions (R) Melina Pizano/Matchroom