After suffering his first pro loss in May, Jaime Munguia returned to the ring Friday night and got back to setting off major fireworks.
The Mexican fighter chipped away at a technically-sound Erik Bazinyan before a devastating left hook and relentless flurry of punches produced a 10th-round knockout in the super middleweight clash at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.
For Munguia, it was a great rebounding win after losing a unanimous decision to Canelo Alvarez in May. Though Bazinyan was a stern test.
Bazinyan was frustrating Munguia with a stinging, rhythm-altering jab, before the Mexican boxer made deposits to the body in the sixth round.
The very next round had Munguia uncorking a slashing right-left combination to buzz Bazinyan and brush him back.
That moment would serve as a taste of things to come as Munguia turned up the aggression in the 10th and detonated an explosive left hook that put Bazinyan on jelly legs.
Sensing he had the Canadian fighter hurt, Munguia swarmed him and emptied out his arsenal until Bazinyan hit the canvas on his hands and knees. He tried but couldn't beat the count as a result of the punishment doled out by Munguia who improved to 44-1 with 35 KOs with the stoppage win. Meanwhile, Bazinyan (32-1-1, 23 KOs) suffered his first loss as a pro.
"It was a fight I had to do intelligently," Munguia told ESPN via a translator. "He's strong, he hits hard as well so we had to break him down."
Here are the key live updates and highlights from the entire Munguia-Bazinyan main card.