Undefeated middleweight fighter Jaime Munguia needed a new opponent after his scheduled fight with Maciej Sulecki was scrapped due to injury. It didn't take long for a new opponent to be found as D'Mitrius Ballard steps in on a little more than two weeks' notice to face off with the former WBO junior middleweight champion on April 23, from the Don Haskins Center in El Paso, Texas, and live on DAZN (excluding Mexico).
“D’Mitrius Ballard has been deserving of an opportunity like this for a while now,” Oscar De La Hoya, chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions said in a press release. “This is the chance to finally demonstrate to the world that he’s ready for the top guys in the division. We wish Maciej Sulecki a quick recovery, but we also we want to emphasize that Ballard is no mere replacement. He’s a real threat.”
Sulecki and Munguia were set to square off, but the 31-year-old Polish fighter suffered an injury that ruled him out. Sulecki had aimed to use a bout with Munguia as an opportunity to move into the top 10 and earn another title fight after losing his last attempt against Demetrius Andrade for the WBO title.
Ballard has a decorated amateur career in which he won several national championships. The 28-year-old started his pro career in 2013 and fought competitors such as Victor Fonseca and Alan Campa. Ballard is anxious to make his mark on the division on April 23, coming off a majority draw against Olympic bronze medalist Yamaguchi Falcao.
“I feel very fortunate and blessed to have the opportunity to fight against Jaime Munguia,” Ballard said. “I feel extremely blessed especially because of the condition the world is now in with COVID-19 and all the issues we are facing. This is the perfect opportunity to really showcase who D’Mitirus Ballard is and demonstrate my boxing abilities. I’m going to use this fight to re-introduce myself to the world.”
Munguia (36-0, 29 KOs), a former WBO junior middleweight champion, has made a giant splash in his first two middleweight bouts that occurred in 2020. The 24-year-old from Mexico scored an 11th-round TKO win over Gary "Spike" O'Sullivan in January 2020 and a sixth-round stoppage victory over Tureano Johnson at the end of October. Munguia is ready for another step-up in competition in his journey to becoming a two-division champion.
“These things happen in boxing, and I’ve always had the mentality that I have to be prepared for any opponent,” Munguia said. “I know that D’Mitrius Ballard is a great fighter with a lot of experience as an amateur and a professional, so I expect to deliver a great fight to get even closer to the world title opportunity.”