Jaime Munguia faces John Ryder live from Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona on Saturday, January 27. Mexican former world champion and British former title challenger square off in the scheduled for 12 rounds bout at super middleweight.
Munguia (42-0, 33 KOs) of Tijuana, Mexico won his previous bout last June by unanimous decision against Sergiy Derevyanchenko. The 27-year-old former WBO super welterweight champion is confident in his victory and looks to remain undefeated.
“Good afternoon to all. First of all, and again, thank you to Oscar De La Hoya, Fernando Beltran and Eddie Hearn,” said Jaime Munguia at the final pre-fight press conference. “I want to thank everybody for being here, and thanks to Freddie Roach and Wildcard Boxing Gym. This was a great camp for all of us. It’s going to help me keep moving forward to achieve my goals. I know that John Ryder is a tough fighter. He has lost and he has won close fights, but I’m ready. I’m ready to do this on Saturday. Y que viva Mexico!”
Ryder (32-6, 18 KOs) was in action last May, when he challenged Canelo Alvarez for his undisputed 168-pound title, but fell short dropping a unanimous decision. The 35-year-old of Islington, London looks to rebound from the defeat and advance in his career.
“Firstly, thank you to Eddie and Matchroom, and Oscar, Golden Boy and Zanfer for making this happen,” John Ryder said. “It’s been a fight long in the pipeline and I’m glad we’re fighting. It’s a fight I feel like I needed since the Canelo defeat, and I want to continue operating at the level I’ve been operating at. This is the fight to kick me on, and push me in my career.”
In the co-main event, Puerto Rican WBO minimumweight champion Oscar Collazo (8-0, 6 KOs) defends his title against Reyneris Gutierrez (10-1, 2 KOs) of Nicaragua. Also on the card, Coachella Valley’s IBF flyweight champion Gabriela Fundora (12-0, 5 KOs) defends her title against Christina Cruz (6-0, 0 KOs) of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Among other Munguia vs Ryder undercard bouts, Houston-based Darius Fulghum (9-0, 9 KOs) of El Paso, Texas and Alantez Fox (28-5-1, 13 KOs) of Washington, D.C battle it out at super middleweight. In addition, Alan Picasso Romero (26-0-1, 15 KOs) of Mexico City and Erik Ruiz (17-9-1, 7 KOs) of Oxnard, California clash at super bantamweight.