VERONA, N.Y. -- Headlining HBO's May 12 card will be a junior middleweight title fight between Sadam Ali (26-1, 14 KOs) and Jaime Munguia (28-0, 24 KOs). On the line will be the WBO junior middleweight title Ali gained in his win over Miguel Cotto. Originally Ali was supposed to be taking on Liam Smith, but Smith suffered a skin condition due to an allergic reaction and had to pull out of the fight, leaving the door open for Munguia.
Ali is coming off the biggest win over his career over Cotto. That's the biggest name on Ali's resume but the Cotto he faced was riding off into retirement and not the fighter he once was. The other notable name on Ali's resume is Jessie Vargas and Vargas dropped him twice with two right hands on his way to a ninth round stoppage. Outside of those fights Ali has mostly faced limited veterans, although he did look good in his stoppage win over puncher Luis Abregu.
'World Kid,' the nickname Ali goes by, doesn't mind fighting off his back foot and can counter well at times. He fights out of the orthodox stance and while he doesn't have a great jab he does have a strong left hook he likes to bang to the body. The right hand is also a really good weapon for Ali and at times he will sneak in powerful uppercuts. Ali is not without his flaws though. Most notably is the fact that he tends to hang his chin out there and that could spell trouble against a puncher like Munguia.
While Ali only has two or three marquee names on his resume, Munguia has none. While he brings a perfect record into the ring he has built that record against mostly journeymen fighters. Not only will Saturday's fight be the biggest of Munguia's career but it will also be his first title fight which could makes things interesting if this fight goes to the championship rounds. Most of Munguia's fights end early and he has only been 10 rounds once.
Munguia is an orthodox fighter who oftens squares up too much to his opponent. He likes to use his jab as a measuring stick and often doesn't put much on it. Munguia has power in both hands and can do damage to the body or upstairs. His best punch might be his right hand but he also loves to bang his left hook to the body and while he doesn't have fast hands he certainly has heavy hands.
Munguia took this fight on short notice but he knew Ali would be his opponent when he signed up. This could be a trap fight for Ali who was preparing for a very different fighter in Smith before he had to pull out of the fight. Smith doesn't have the power that Munguia does and Ali needs to be careful not to overlook his young, heavy-hitting foe. Look for Munguia to impose his power advantage by getting inside and unleashing heavy leather. Meanwhile, Ali would be best suited to stick and move, using his legs to avoid serious damage and countering Munguia when he attacks.
PREDICTION: The chin of Sadam Ali has to be questioned, especially when he was dropped twice and stopped by a fighter in Jessie Vargas who isn't exactly a big puncher. Jaime Munguia has the power to hurt Ali but his lack of experience against top level opposition will hurt the 21-year-old in this fight. He might get buzzed a time or two in this fight but Ali will come away with the unanimous decision victory.
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| Ali catching Miguel Cotto with a right hand |
'World Kid,' the nickname Ali goes by, doesn't mind fighting off his back foot and can counter well at times. He fights out of the orthodox stance and while he doesn't have a great jab he does have a strong left hook he likes to bang to the body. The right hand is also a really good weapon for Ali and at times he will sneak in powerful uppercuts. Ali is not without his flaws though. Most notably is the fact that he tends to hang his chin out there and that could spell trouble against a puncher like Munguia.
While Ali only has two or three marquee names on his resume, Munguia has none. While he brings a perfect record into the ring he has built that record against mostly journeymen fighters. Not only will Saturday's fight be the biggest of Munguia's career but it will also be his first title fight which could makes things interesting if this fight goes to the championship rounds. Most of Munguia's fights end early and he has only been 10 rounds once.
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| Munguia dropping his opponent to end a fight |
Munguia took this fight on short notice but he knew Ali would be his opponent when he signed up. This could be a trap fight for Ali who was preparing for a very different fighter in Smith before he had to pull out of the fight. Smith doesn't have the power that Munguia does and Ali needs to be careful not to overlook his young, heavy-hitting foe. Look for Munguia to impose his power advantage by getting inside and unleashing heavy leather. Meanwhile, Ali would be best suited to stick and move, using his legs to avoid serious damage and countering Munguia when he attacks.
PREDICTION: The chin of Sadam Ali has to be questioned, especially when he was dropped twice and stopped by a fighter in Jessie Vargas who isn't exactly a big puncher. Jaime Munguia has the power to hurt Ali but his lack of experience against top level opposition will hurt the 21-year-old in this fight. He might get buzzed a time or two in this fight but Ali will come away with the unanimous decision victory.
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