On Cinco De Mayo weekend, two Mexican combatants take center stage to vie not only for the undisputed crown at 168 but for the pride and heritage of a people, deeply entrenched with a warrior mentality.
The bout on May 4 should be a brutal confrontation where neither Canelo Alvarez nor Jaime Munguia capitulates or kowtows: that would be a blatant betrayal of the Mexican, no; not on Mexican Parade Day.
The bout is scheduled to take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and already, Oscar De La Hoya is making wild predictions of Munguia upsetting and toppling Saul Alvarez ( 60-2-2, 39Kos).
At 33, the reigning undisputed Super Middleweight Champion is definitely on a decline- that's undeniable. But the ginger-haired operator still possesses enough venom to take care of younger contenders like Munguia; probably without much danger.
Although an upset cannot entirely be ruled out, the caliber of opposition the challenger has had so far makes people folk doubt if he really has the mettle for such a herculean task.
Munguia's resumè indeed leaves much to be desired: his notable opponents being Sergiy Derevyanchenko and John Ryder.
Canelo and Munguia share an opponent in common: Ryder. And while many argue that Munguia ( 43-0) did what Alvarez failed to do: knock out Ryder, that assertion would not actually hold sway when the bell rings and the two boxers engage each other on fight night.
In his comments, Munguia a native of Tijuana recounts how he used to be a fan of Canelo and now an opponent.
"I've got nothing but respect for him, but this is my time", said Munguia.
The odds are heavily in Canelo's favor and an upset seems a far reality: but one thing you can be assured of is an enthralling, explosive, high-octane action.
Samuel Opoku Amoah is a writer and boxing analyst for AceTVBoxing.com. He can be reached via email: samgolden715@gmail.com.
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