CARSON, Calif. — Jamie Munguia usually wears a broad smile on his face during fight week for his fans. He enjoys putting on a show for them, and the soon-to-be 23-year-old is thrilled at every opportunity to showcase his talent inside of a boxing ring.
But as the WBO junior middleweight champion enters the room for the fighter meetings ahead of what will be his final fight at 154 pounds against Patrick Allotey (40-3, 30 KOs), Munguia isn’t smiling.
Well, he’s trying. But it is apparent that this particular weight cut has taken a toll on him. He shakes hands with everyone in the room and then drops into a chair. For a moment, he rests his head on the table and exhales.
"I’m tired," he says via a translator. "But that’s why I’m moving up to 160 pounds."
He’s the epitome of a man who lets his hands do the talking — this particular week Munguia has said very little. Clearly, he’s focused on his opponent as he’ll be headlining a DAZN card on Mexican Independence Day weekend at the Dignity Health Sports Park. If he comes out victorious, it will be his fifth defense of the WBO title.
And then it’s on to bigger and better things in a division that houses Gennadiy Golovkin, Canelo Alvarez, Demetrius Andrade, Sergiy Derevyanchenko and many others.
It's incredible to think where Munguia was just a little over a year ago.
Back in April of 2018, Munguia was rejected by the Nevada State Athletic Commission as a late replacement to face Golovkin when Alvarez was pulled from the card for the infamous "tainted meat" fiasco that resulted in a failed drug test.
Munguia, although undefeated, had yet to face anyone remotely close to the caliber of GGG, and the NSAC prevented the Mexican from stepping into the ring against the then-undefeated Golovkin.
One year later, Munguia is on the cusp of being a legitimate challenger to Golovkin and the rest of the middleweight division.
After being rejected as an opponent for GGG, Munguia went on a tear with a series of exceptional performances against Sadam Ali (TKO 4), Liam Smith (UD 12), Brandon Cook (TKO 3) and Takeshi Inoue (UD 12). It certainly looked as if Munguia was proving his worth as one of the brightest up-and-coming talents in boxing.
Maybe the NSAC was wrong in their assessment, after all. Maybe not.
For Munguia’s fourth title defense, he faced Dennis Hogan in Monterrey, Mexico, on April 13. With the roll that Munguia had been on, it was expected that Hogan would just be another checkmark to add to his portfolio.
Turns out that wasn’t the case.
Hogan gave Munguia hell for 12 rounds and appeared to have done enough to win the fight, but Munguia managed to escape with a draw and his undefeated record still intact. The immediate reaction was that the young Mexican had been exposed and wasn’t yet worthy of being considered in the upper echelon of competitors.
The very issue that has Munguia slumped over in his chair is what nearly spelled his demise five months ago.
"I got a little bit tired," Munguia said. "The issues being at 154, that can be a problem."
He also teased that it could have been his last fight as a junior middleweight. Yet, here he is.
"I wanted to leave a good legacy as the champion at 154 pounds before I move up to challenge for a title at 160," Munguia said.
Perhaps the taste of his previous performance needed to be rinsed out, and Allotey could be the perfect palate cleanser. The Ghana-born fighter is tough but hasn’t proven to be much of a threat. He has solid knockout power but hasn’t done well outside of his home country.
"He’s a really strong and good opponent," Munguia said. "I know he moves well and has 30 knockouts. I don’t know too much else about him because there isn’t much on the internet. But it looks like he’s a pretty strong opponent."
One last title defense as he carries his home country’s colors into the boxing ring on arguably the biggest Mexican holiday for fight fans was simply something Munguia couldn’t pass up. With Canelo moving off the date and into a Nov. 2 fight with Sergey Kovalev, somebody had to represent for Mexicans across the globe, especially now that budding superstar Ryan Garcia is no longer competing due to his opponent being arrested for an outstanding warrant the day of the weigh-in.
Munguia is clearly proud of the opportunity to be the headliner and flashes that smile when he discusses his grandmother being in attendance on Saturday night. However, with that great responsibility comes the pressure to perform — and Munguia has made some changes heading into his fight with Allotey.
The most significant change has been in his corner. Out goes Robert Alcazar and in comes legendary boxer and fellow Mexican, Erik Morales. Munguia says the two have gelled together rather quickly with Morales’ no-nonsense style of training and Munguia’s dedication to improvement.
"He’s tough," Munguia said. "We’ve been working on moving forward and throwing punches but also being more intelligent on defense."
Munguia is pleased with his new trainer, but the clear challenge of making weight remains. He tipped the scale at 154.2 pounds before shedding his trunks and hitting weight right on the money.
Regardless, Munguia is excited about the prospect of having a hall of fame trainer leading him to where he believes he should be as a fighter. Performances like the one he had against Hogan should be aberrations rather than the norm.
And it's easy to forget Munguia is only 22 years old. Whereas other fighters his age are cut a little slack and called prospects, Munguia is treated like a world champion who doesn’t have much room for error.
He does, even in this unforgiving sport that treats losses like the end of the world. Fortunately for Munguia, he hasn’t had to deal with a blemish on his perfect record.
He’s ready to put his game face on — smiles are reserved for those who win. Munguia will go to war for his countrymen and look to prove why he should be considered boxing’s future. It’s his last campaign as a 154-pound fighter before he moves to the land of the heavy hitters, a land where just one year ago, many said he didn’t belong.
"I like what I do," Munguia says when asked how he is able to wipe that smile off his face and become so focused on executing against his opponent. "I like bringing a great show to the fans and winning. That’s why I change my attitude when I get into the ring. I like to win."