Fight Week: Jaime Munguia, David Benavidez to make their returns
FIGHT WEEK
JAIME MUNGUIA WILL FACE GABRIEL ROSADO SATURDAY AS HE CONTINUES HIS PURSUIT OF A MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE SHOT. ON THE SAME NIGHT, DAVID BENAVIDEZ RETURNS AGAINST KYRONE DAVIS.
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JAIME MUNGUIA (37-0, 30 KOs) VS. GABRIEL ROSADO (26-13-1, 15 KOs)
When: Saturday, Nov. 13
Where: Honda Center, Anaheim, California
TV/Stream: DAZN
Division: Middleweight
At stake: No titles
Pound-for-pound ranking: None
Odds: Munguia 7½-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
Also on the card: Alexis Rocha vs. Jeovanis Barraza, welterweights; D’Mitrus Ballard vs. Paul Valenzuela Jr., middleweights; William Zepeda vs. John Moralde, lightweights; Arley Muncino vs. Jackie Calvo, flyweights
Prediction: Munguia KO 10
Background: Munguia, a former 154-pound titleholder, will be fighting at 160 for the fourth time as the slugging Mexican pursues a shot at another major belt. He has stopped four consecutive opponents since a majority decision over Dennis Hogan in April 2019, including a sixth-round stoppage of Kamil Szeremeta this past June. Munguia is ranked No. 1 by both the WBC (Jermall Charlo is champion) and WBO (Demetrius Andrade), which means an opportunity to become a two-division beltholder should be on the horizon if he continues to win. Rosado, a tough, but limited boxer-puncher, has fallen short against his best opponents but he stunned the boxing world by rising from a knockdown to stop unbeaten prospect Bektemir Melikuziev in three rounds on the Munguia-Szeremeta card. That victory helped him land in the main event on a significant card. Rosado is a significant underdog for a reason – Munguia is a better all-around fighter – but the Philadelphian always comes to fight, which gives him a chance to have his hand raised. He’s coming back down to 160 after three fights at 168,
DAVID BENAVIDEZ (24-0, 21 KOs) VS. KYRONE DAVIS (16-2-1, 6 KOs)
When: Saturday, Nov. 13
Where: Footprint Center, Phoenix
TV/Stream: Showtime
Division: Super middleweight
At stake: No titles
Pound-for-pound ranking: None
Odds: NA
Also on the card: Jose Benavidez Jr. vs. Francisco Emanuel Torres, junior middleweights
Prediction: Benavidez KO 7
Background: Benavidez was supposed to have fought rugged Jose Uzcategui in front of his hometown fans but the Venezuelan was pulled from the card after allegedly testing positive for a banned substance. Davis stepped in two weeks before the fight. Benavidez saw his second reign as a 168-pound titleholder end on the scale before his meeting with Roamer Alexis Angulo in August of last year, a fight he won by 10th-round stoppage. He followed that with an 11th-round knockout of Ronald Ellis in March, his fourth consecutive stoppage. He is a candidate to challenge Canelo Alvarez for the undisputed championship next May if he can win on Saturday. Davis, once an amateur standout, is a good boxer with limited punching power. The Delawarean enhanced his reputation by drawing with former two-time super middleweight titleholder Anthony Dirrell this past February, which made him a credible potential opponent for the top 168-pounders. He followed up with a unanimous eight-round decision over Martez McGregor in September, a fight in which Davis struggled.
KID GALAHAD (28-1, 17 KOs) VS. KIKO MARTINEZ (42-10-2, 29 KOs)
When: Saturday, Nov. 13
Where: Utilita Arena Sheffield, Sheffield, England
TV/Stream: DAZN
Division: Featherweight
At stake: Galahad’s IBF title
Pound-for-pound ranking: None
Odds: Galahad 10-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
Also on the card: Terri Harper vs. Alycia Baumgardner, junior lightweights (for Harper’s WBC title); Chris Billam-Smith vs. Dylan Bregeon, cruiserweights; James Flint vs. Dom Hunt, junior welterweights
Prediction: Galahad UD
Background: Galahad came close to winning his first world title when he lost a split decision to then-IBF 126-pound titleholder Josh Warrington in June 2019. Two years later, this past August, he stopped Jazza Dickens in 11 rounds to capture the same title (which Warrington had vacated). Galahad, whose real name is Abdul Bari Awad, was born in Qatar but grew up in Sheffield. The 31-year-old was out of boxing for about a year and half, between 2014 and 2016, as the result of a doping suspension. Martinez has remarkable staying power. The 35-year-old Spaniard, a 122-pound beltholder in 2013-14, has been fighting on an elite level for more than a decade. He received this title shot in part because of his strong performance against 130-pound contender Zelfa Barrett in February. Barrett was awarded a unanimous decision but many believe Martinez deserved the nod. He followed that disappointment with a wide decision over Jayro Duran in September. Martinez is 3-4 in world title fights.
Also fighting this weekend: Thomas Patrick Ward (30-0-1, 4 KOs) of England faces fellow featherweight contender Leonardo Padilla (20-3, 14 KOs) of Venezuela in a scheduled 10-rounder in Houghton-le-Spring, England (ESPN+).
