HOUSTON -- The junior middleweight division has two current champions who really love to bang it out. One of those fighters is Jarrett Hurd, the other is Jaime Munguia (31-0, 26 KOs). Munguia will be putting his WBO title on the line against Takeshi Inoue (13-0-1, 7 KOs). The fight will stream live on DAZN and it will be Munguia's third title defense.
Munguia is an orthodox fighter who loves to come forward and mix it up. He loves to load up on his right hand but at times can be too wild with that punch. The Mexican native likes to use a stiff jab to find the distance for that right hand and he is the type of fighter who doesn't mind eating some leather while he's on the attack. Munguia is at his best when he's on the inside and letting his hands go. Along with his powerful right hand he also has a bruising left hook that can end a fight, especially if he lands it to the body. While his defense is certainly lacking, at just 22 years old he has plenty of room for improvement.
The first time many fans heard of Munguia was when he was rejected as an opponent for then middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin. After that fight was denied Munguia took on newly crowed junior middleweight champion Sadam Ali. Ali, known as a skilled boxer was a natural welterweight and severely undersized against Munguia. The challenger dominated the champ as Munguia dropped Ali four times on his way to an early stoppage victory. He then successfully defended that title twice, first against Liam 'Beefy' Smith and then against Brandon Cook. While Inoue is certainly a step down from Smith or Ali there have been rumors already floating around that Munguia could be a future opponent of Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez in what would be an action packed All Mexican fight.
Inoue is also an orthodox fighter be he lacks the power needed to bang with a fighter like Munguia. Hailing from Japan, Inoue likes to use his jab as a measuring stick for a solid left hook and skilled right hand. Inoue puts in most of his best work with that right hand and he will throw it from all angles, including a sneaky uppercut. The problem for Inoue in this fight is that he will be seriously undersized. He also likes to come forward and mix things up but he lacks the power to truly hurt Munguia, unless he hits him with a shot he doesn't see coming and lands it perfectly. If that punch doesn't come, and Inoue decides to mix it up on the inside with Munguia, he could be find himself in trouble.
Saturday will mark Inoue's first trip to the states. All but one of his previous fights have come in his native Japan, with the outlier fight taking place in Thailand. While he does have an undefeated record, he faced four opponents who entered the fight without a single victory on their record. Munguia represents a massive step up in competitiong for Inoue and this will also be Inoue's first world title shot. Inoue winning would be a massive upset and throw a wrench in Munguia's future plans.
If you're a Munguia fan you will probably enjoy what goes down on Saturday night. However, if you're rooting interest lies with Inoue, you might want to cover your eyes. Not only is Inoue much smaller than Munguia but he also lacks top end power. If Inoue fights in his typical aggressive style he could be in for a short night. Look for Munguia to jump all over Inoue from the start and impose his size and power advantage. Inoue is really tailor made for Munguia and going the full 12 could be considered a victory for him.
PREDICTION: It isn't that Takeshi Inoue is a bad fighter, he is just too small and not powerful enough to do much against Jaime Munguia. This fight is going to be all Munguia and he will be in for an easy and short night as he stops Inoue in the fourth round.
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| Munguia catching Brandon Cook with a right hand |
The first time many fans heard of Munguia was when he was rejected as an opponent for then middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin. After that fight was denied Munguia took on newly crowed junior middleweight champion Sadam Ali. Ali, known as a skilled boxer was a natural welterweight and severely undersized against Munguia. The challenger dominated the champ as Munguia dropped Ali four times on his way to an early stoppage victory. He then successfully defended that title twice, first against Liam 'Beefy' Smith and then against Brandon Cook. While Inoue is certainly a step down from Smith or Ali there have been rumors already floating around that Munguia could be a future opponent of Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez in what would be an action packed All Mexican fight.
Inoue is also an orthodox fighter be he lacks the power needed to bang with a fighter like Munguia. Hailing from Japan, Inoue likes to use his jab as a measuring stick for a solid left hook and skilled right hand. Inoue puts in most of his best work with that right hand and he will throw it from all angles, including a sneaky uppercut. The problem for Inoue in this fight is that he will be seriously undersized. He also likes to come forward and mix things up but he lacks the power to truly hurt Munguia, unless he hits him with a shot he doesn't see coming and lands it perfectly. If that punch doesn't come, and Inoue decides to mix it up on the inside with Munguia, he could be find himself in trouble.
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| Inoue landing an uppercut on his opponent |
If you're a Munguia fan you will probably enjoy what goes down on Saturday night. However, if you're rooting interest lies with Inoue, you might want to cover your eyes. Not only is Inoue much smaller than Munguia but he also lacks top end power. If Inoue fights in his typical aggressive style he could be in for a short night. Look for Munguia to jump all over Inoue from the start and impose his size and power advantage. Inoue is really tailor made for Munguia and going the full 12 could be considered a victory for him.
PREDICTION: It isn't that Takeshi Inoue is a bad fighter, he is just too small and not powerful enough to do much against Jaime Munguia. This fight is going to be all Munguia and he will be in for an easy and short night as he stops Inoue in the fourth round.
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