BoxRec

Junior middleweight world titlist Jaime Munguia knows the importance to Mexican fighters of boxing on the second weekend of September, which is Mexican Independence Day weekend and one of the biggest boxing dates of the year.

With middleweight world champion and Mexican star Canelo Alvarez electing to move to a date late in the fall while he and Golden Boy Promotions and broadcast partner DAZN figure out who he will face, Munguia has landed the coveted slot.

Munguia will defend his 154-pound title for the fifth time when he faces Patrick Allotey on Sept. 14 (DAZN) at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California, Golden Boy Promotions announced on Saturday.

The card will also see the return of lightweight Ryan Garcia, the 2017 ESPN prospect of the year, who will face Avery Sparrow in the 10-round co-feature.

"We're excited to be able to continue this tradition that we know many fans anticipate," Golden Boy Promotions CEO Oscar De La Hoya said of scheduling the card on the Mexican Independence Day weekend. "Jaime Munguia is an undefeated world champion who has become one of Mexico's biggest boxing stars. Meanwhile, Patrick Allotey has an impressive skill set with years of experience under his belt. The styles are guaranteed to make a war."

Munguia (33-0, 26 KOs), 22, won the title by one-sided fourth-round knockout of Sadam Ali in May 2018 and has made four defenses, most recently a heavily disputed majority decision over Dennis Hogan on April 13 in Monterrey, Mexico.

"I feel very happy for the opportunity of headlining a card on Sept. 14," Munguia said. "That's the best date for boxing in the entire year. It's a great date for Mexico because that's when we celebrate Mexican Independence Day. I'm proud and honored to be representing Mexico in the festivals for my country. I'll give my best and I'll try to deliver a great fight for all the people and for those who will see us."

Golden Boy and DAZN were hoping for a fight between Munguia and former two-division world titlist Jessie Vargas (29-2-2, 11 KOs), 30, of Las Vegas, who moved up to junior middleweight in April and knocked out Humberto Soto in the sixth round.

Vargas was hoping for a title shot against Munguia in a fight he campaigned for and the sides were close to a deal. However, Mungia and Vargas could not agree on the weight. Vargas wanted to challenge for the title at 154 pounds and Munguia wanted to fight him in a nontitle bout at 156 pounds. But for Alottey, Munguia agreed to make the division limit and defend his title.

"I was hoping to fight for the title in September but that will be postponed for the moment," Vargas wrote on social media.

Allotey (40-3, 30 KOs), 28, of Ghana, who will be fighting in the United States for the second time, has won six fights in a row since a unanimous decision loss to Kanat Islam in Islam's home country of Kazakhstan in October 2016.

"I respect Munguia. He is a great fighter," Allotey said. "But I'm an African warrior, so you know I'll be coming to cause a big surprise."

Garcia (18-0, 15 KOs), of Victorville, California, who turned 21 on Thursday, last fought on March 30, when he crushed Jose Lopez in two rounds. He and Golden Boy have been at odds since because Garcia, a big draw, has been upset that he made only $50,000 for that fight on a card for which Golden Boy received a nearly seven-figure license fee from DAZN. Garcia hired a lawyer and he and Golden Boy appear to be back on the same page as the fight with Sparrow goes forward.

"Sparrow is basically an undefeated fighter with a good amateur background," Garcia said. "People in boxing that know boxing will know this isn't an easy fight. It will not be overlooked."

Sparrow (10-1, 3 KOs), 25, of Philadelphia, also fought Lopez, winning a competitive 10-round decision against him in November 2017. Sparrow is coming off his biggest win, a majority 10-round decision against Philadelphia rival and former world title challenger Hank Lundy on March 15.

"It's a difficult fight for Sparrow," said Russell Peltz, Sparrow's International Boxing Hall of Fame promoter. "Once again he has to move up in weight from 130 to 135. None of the 130-pounders want to fight him. However, I am not a big believer that weight difference will determine the outcome. The outcome will be determined by who is the better fighter so long as the judges are fair, and I am sure they will be. Garcia has a prettier record, but Sparrow can more than handle himself."

In another bout, junior welterweight brawler Pablo Cesar Cano (32-7-1, 22 KOs), 32, of Mexico, will defend his regional title in a 12-round fight against Michael Perez (25-3-2, 11 KOs), 29, of Newark, New Jersey. Cano is coming off the biggest win of his career, a stunning first-round upset knockout of former three-division world titlist Jorge Linares, whom he knocked down three times, on Jan. 18 in New York. Perez will look to bounce back from an eighth-round knockout loss to Abdiel Ramirez in December.

Also on the card, Filipino lightweight Romero Duno (20-1, 15 KOs), 23, who fights out of Los Angeles, will defend his regional title in a 10-round fight against an opponent to be determined; Azat "Crazy A" Hovhannisyan (17-3, 14 KOs), 30, an Armenia native based in Los Angeles, will face an opponent to be determined in a 10-round junior featherweight fight; and Los Angeles lightweight Alejandro Reyes will make his professional debut in a four-round match against Jorge Padron (3-4, 3 KOs), 32, of Mexico.

https://www.espn.com/boxing/story/_/id/ ... ssion=true

Pretty pathetic if that weight fiasco is true.

Onetimeonly wrote: ↑10 Aug 2019, 13:47 Pretty pathetic if that weight fiasco is true.

Vargas was hoping for a title shot against Munguia in a fight he campaigned for and the sides were close to a deal. However, Mungia and Vargas could not agree on the weight. Vargas wanted to challenge for the title at 154 pounds and Munguia wanted to fight him in a nontitle bout at 156 pounds. But for Alottey, Munguia agreed to make the division limit and defend his title.

Yh. Why would Vargas want to fight a champion in a non-title bout? Munguia didn’t want to defend his belt against Vargas but had happily agreed to against the African.

Ruthless-RKO wrote: ↑10 Aug 2019, 14:14

Onetimeonly wrote: ↑10 Aug 2019, 13:47 Pretty pathetic if that weight fiasco is true.

Vargas was hoping for a title shot against Munguia in a fight he campaigned for and the sides were close to a deal. However, Mungia and Vargas could not agree on the weight. Vargas wanted to challenge for the title at 154 pounds and Munguia wanted to fight him in a nontitle bout at 156 pounds. But for Alottey, Munguia agreed to make the division limit and defend his title.

Yh. Why would Vargas want to fight a champion in a non-title bout? Munguia didn’t want to defend his belt against Vargas but had happily agreed to against the African.

I'm sure senior pepino will be along to explain why that's gutsy. If true, that's one of the bitchiest moves yet. Though Leonard pulled it with hearns.

undercard

A historic fight for women’s boxing will take place on the Munguia vs. Allotey undercard as Franchon “The Heavy-Hitting Diva” Crews-Dezurn (5-1, 2 KOs) defends her WBC Super Middleweight World Championship against WBC Heavyweight World Champion Alejandra “La Tigre” Jimenez (12-0-1, 9 KOs). The event will take place on Saturday, Sept. 14 at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, Calif. and will be streamed live on DAZN.

The co-main event will feature Ryan Garcia (18-0, 15 KOs) and Avery “A-Plus” Sparrow (10-1, 3 KOs) in a 10-round lightweight fight.

“Ruthless” Romero Duno (20-1, 15 KOs) of Los Angeles, Calif. will face Ivan “Stiker” Delgado (13-2-2, 6 KOs) of Los Angeles, Calif. in a 10-round defense of his NABO Lightweight Title.

Undefeated prospect Joselito “El Huracan” Velazquez (10-0, 8 KOs) of Cancun, Mexico will return in an eight-round flyweight battle.

Diego Pacheco (4-0, 3 KOs) of Los Angeles, Calif. will participate in a four-round lightweight fight.

Alejandro “Pin Pon” Reyes of Mexicali, Mexico will make his professional debut against Jorge Padron (3-4, 3 KOs) of Sonora, Mexico in a four-round lightweight bout.

Opponents for Velazquez and Pacheco will be announced shortly.

https://www.boxing247.com/press-boxing/ ... -14/125888

Tickerts:

Tickets for Munguia vs. Allotey are on sale and are priced at $200, $100, $50 and $25, plus applicable taxes, fees and services charges. Tickets can be purchased at goldenboytickets.com, https://www.axs.com/, by phone at 888-9-AXS-TIX (888-929-7849), and at Dignity Health Sports Park Box Office (Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. PT to 6 p.m. PT). VIP Suites are available by calling 877-604-8777. For more information on group discounts or VIP packages, call 877-234-8425.

Fight week

Below is what some of today’s participants had to say at the presser.

JAIME MUNGUIA, WBO Junior Middleweight Champion:

“I feel very honored and happy to be representing my country on this important date. I feel ready and I’m prepared to deliver everyone a great show that is worthy of the date of Sept. 14. I had a great preparation, perhaps one of my best training camps, and I want to thank Erik Morales for everything he’s been showing me along with Fernando as well. I hope that this Saturday you see a Jaime Munguia that’s totally different. I’m ready, I’m going to give it my everything.”

PATRICK ALLOTEY, Junior Middleweight Contender:

“I feel good. I feel good for this Saturday because I prepared for this fight. When I heard the rumors about this fight, I thought wow, this fight needs to happen, I need to be a world champion too. Like Oscar said, in Ghana we have great fighters, and I’m very happy to become one of them. I know Munguia is a very good fighter and he has power like I do, and I know come Saturday, Munguia is coming to throw his big shots and he thinks he can knock Patrick Allotey out. But no, because I’m also a great fighter and also have power like he does. I’m coming to fight and win. So I think on Saturday it will be a very good fight. I think the best man will win.”

RYAN GARCIA. Lightweight Contender:

“This Saturday, I just plan to show all my improvements in the ring. [Avery] claims that he has a lot of experience. He has 11 fights – I don’t know how much experience you can have with that. I was in amateurs maybe even longer than him. I have just as much experience, and I’ve been working in the gym to get better and better every single day. I know there’s a lot of pressure on me, a lot of hype, and I know the things people say about me. The only thing I look to do is to become the best fighter I can be. This Saturday, stay tuned, it’s going to be a good one, I’m looking to prove myself and earn that respect in the ring.”

“A lot of people like to focus on my Instagram, you don’t hear me talk about it, everybody else just talks about it. It just connects me to my fans, and why wouldn’t I want to connect to the people who support me?”

AVERY SPARROW, Super Featherweight Contender:

“I naturally weigh 126 pounds, I can get here easy. Unfortunately, we can’t get no fights there, we can’t get no fights at 130. My last fight was at 135 pounds, I dropped him two times, I controlled the whole fight. I felt good, I felt strong, and that was coming off a year layoff. This time, I had a great camp, I’m feeling solid, I got a lot of people backing me, supporting me. This opportunity I’m going to take full advantage of.”

“Ryan Garcia is a great fighter but he’s yet to be proven. When I fought in 2017, which is some years ago, I defeated Jose Lopez, who was Ryan’s last opponent. He’s getting guys that I already beat. He hasn’t really been put in tough. To me, I really don’t see this as a tough fight. He comes in, he only has one plan, to knock everybody out. When he goes the distance, he has a tough time, he has no inside game. It’s a lot of things that Ryan has to prove. There’s not a lot of things that I have to prove. The first 15, 16 fights when you’ve signed with an elite promotional company are favored for you to win. So this opportunity is for Ryan Garcia to show he is who he really says he is. If he beats me, then you can be sure Ryan Garcia is on to do big things. But after I beat him, he still has time to grow, he still has time to be a world champion, but I think he bit off more than he can chew. Come this weekend, the world will see that Ryan Garcia is over with. Ryan Garcia has a lot to prove, and he’s going to have to prove it because I’m coming to fight. You better tune in because it’s going to be an exciting fight and Ryan Garcia is done.”

FRANCHON CREWS-DEZURN, WBC Super Middleweight World Champion:

“I’m just so excited right now, I feel like a kid in a candy store. Sept. 14 is long etched in boxing history for the last decade. That’s when some of the best fights take place. To have the opportunity through Golden Boy to defend the title and to get to present myself to the world as I see it – as a champion not only in boxing, but in life – is a highlight of my life. Everyone is talking about how strong and big my opponent is, but my heart and my intellect is going to be stronger. I fought an undisputed unified champion and was blessed to hold my own, and with a good training camp and people in my corner, having then in my behind me, you guys are going to see the best version of me. I’m not coming to play, I’m coming to slay, I’m coming to entertain. I make my own outfits, I make my own boxing attire. Get ready for a show.”

ERIK MORALES, Trainer to Jaime Munguia:

“It’s an honor to be training the new face of Mexican boxing. And overall, very satisfying to be training a younger boxer who has a lot of desire, a lot of motivation, and has the goal set on being one of the faces of boxing. What we’ve done is to make sure we utilize what he has and exploit those abilities in the ring, and this Saturday, you will see that.”

FERNANDO BELTRAN, CEO of Zanfer Promotions:

“I think it’s going to be a sensational fight. Sept. 16 is sensational and I think it’s a great, great fight. I think Oscar putting fighters with other promoters is what boxing is all about. I congratulate Oscar and I’m very happy to be in this strategic partnership. And, I think Munguia is the next face of boxing – without a doubt.”

OSCAR DE LA HOYA, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy:

“Sept. 16 has held the biggest boxing events in the history of the sport. You have to go back to Julio Cesar Chavez, some of my fights, Canelo, and now, Jaime Munguia and Ryan Garcia and all these fights here. It’s about staging the best event at the best stadium, but there’s something about Saturday night that’s going to be fireworks.”

“We decided to headline Jaime Munguia, who is a world champion in his own right, he’s a WBO world champion, but we had to put him with a real tough fighter. A real fighter who’s going to come and derail those plans. That’s what boxing’s all about – a coin flip. And when we were looking at his opponent, or the contender, when I talked to Roberto Diaz and Eric Gomez, they mentioned to me a fighter from Ghana. It instantly reminded me of Azumah Nelson, Ike Quartey, it reminded me of tough, tough fighters. We instantly said yes, [Allotey] is the guy because fighters from Ghana – they come to fight, they have passion.”

“We signed [Ryan] in 2016, and he’s been developing as a solid contender, as a fighter we feel can reach the stars. He’s trained by a great trainer in Eddy Reynoso, who is bringing out the best in him. So we feel very excited to see exactly what is yet to come. He’s defeated fighters such as Carlos Morales, Jayson Velez, Jose Lopez, Braulio Rodriguez, and like I said, being trained by Eddy Reynoso is going to take him to that next level that everybody aspires to be at.”

“Women’s boxing is not on the rise. It’s already here. We at Golden Boy Promotions feel proud that we can showcase these talents and continue to open the doors for much bigger and better things for women’s boxing.”

BERNARD HOPKINS, Golden Boy Partner and Future Hall of Famer:

“I believe the women’s match is probably going to really try to take over this entire card. I’m excited to see that. Everybody here has the opportunity to show their talents on a high scale. Enjoy the fight. Look at the talent that’s here, there’s champions and some wannabe champions. Understand that this is what boxing is all about – to bring the best, whether they’re starting at a level before they get to the top level or they’re already there.”

Tickets for Munguia vs. Allotey are on sale and are priced at $200, $100, $50 and $25, plus applicable taxes, fees and services charges. Tickets can be purchased at goldenboytickets.com, https://www.axs.com/, by phone at 888-9-AXS-TIX (888-929-7849), and at Dignity Health Sports Park Box Office (Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. PT to 6 p.m. PT). VIP Suites are available by calling 877-604-8777. For more information on group discounts or VIP packages, call 877-234-8425.

This is an even worse mismatch than the Fury fight. Where did they even find this Alottey guy?

They are making it easy for Munguia, because this is his last time as a super-welter, but he still had to make his way through guys like Inoue and Hogan.

This Allotey guy isn’t half as good as Hogan.

Main Card (DAZN, 7:00 pm ET)

junior middleweights, 12 rounds
Jaime Munguia (33-0, 26 KO) vs Patrick Allotey (40-3, 30 KO)

super middleweights, 10 rounds
Franchon Crews-Dezurn (5-1, 2 KO) vs Maricela Cornejo (13-3, 5 KO), rematch

lightweights, 10 rounds
Romero Duno (20-1, 15 KO) vs Ivan Delgado (13-2-2, 6 KO)

flyweights, 8 rounds
Joselito Velazquez (10-0, 8 KO) vs Francisco Bonilla (6-6-3, 3 KO)

super middleweights, 6 rounds
Diego Pacheco (5-0, 4 KO) vs Terry Fernandez (3-0, 3 KO)

super featherweights, 8 rounds
Rafael Gramajo (10-2-2, 2 KO) vs Daniel Olea (13-8-2, 5 KO)

jujigatame wrote: ↑13 Sep 2019, 09:38 This is an even worse mismatch than the Fury fight. Where did they even find this Alottey guy?

Wierd eh. Munguia has fought some decent fighters, his best win by a distance is Liam Smith who i think could beat Munguia is a rematch. African Patrick looks a really poor opponent on paper.

No one watching this?

Ko4
Down in 3rd and 4th.
Easy work

Duran1970 wrote: ↑14 Sep 2019, 23:54 Ko4
Down in 3rd and 4th.
Easy work

Ah. Did Garcia not fight then?

Don't think so... opponent got busted I think

First two rounds, Munguia was jumped and Allotey slipped through his strikes, but once Jaime began to cover and watch for the body, it set the game. However, I don't know if he will fare well at 160.

Full card highlights.