With this Saturday night being the first bye week for the UFC in 2024, fans of combat sports are left with some options as to how to spend the evening.
DAZN features a full evening of boxing this Saturday. Footprint Center is the host venue for the second Golden Boy Boxing card of the year. This week, Oscar de la Hoya’s promotion collaborates with Eddie Hearn‘s Matchroom Boxing and Zanfer Boxing.
Live coverage kicks off with the undercard on Before the Bell at 5:30 pm ET/ 2:30 pm PT on the subscription-based streaming service, followed at 8 pm ET/ 5 pm PT with main card action. If there are no late postponements between now and Saturday evening, this card features nine boxing matches, four of them for championships.
WBC Silver Super-Middleweight Championship Up for Grabs in Main Event
Capping the quadruple-header of title fights is the battle for the WBC Silver Super-Middleweight Championship in the main event of the evening. Incumbent titleholder Jaime Munguia (42-0, 33 KOs) defends his strap when he battles challenger John Ryder (32-6, 18 KOs).
As is most often the case with title fights, this confrontation at 168 lbs. is an advertised maximum of 12 rounds at three minutes per round to close the show.
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Fighter Comparison and Betting Odds
Heading into Saturday night’s main event of the evening, Jaime Munguia stands as the taller gladiator at six feet even, with John Ryder standing 5-foot-9. Both champion and challenger have a level reach of 62 inches.
As of Thursday afternoon, the oddsmakers have Jaime Munguia installed as a -400 favourite on the money line, while John Ryder counters as a +300 underdog. If you plan on betting on this or any other fight happening this weekend, please wager responsibly.
Munguia Wants Violence of the Highest Order on Saturday
Champion Jaime Munguia has yet to lose so far in his professional career as a pugilist. Most recently, he scored a unanimous decision victory against Sergiy Derevyanchenko (14-5, 10 KOs) on June 10 of last year. During that fight, he knocked Derevyanchenko to the mat with a shot to the body in the final round.
In the run-up to his defence, he was interviewed by Michelle Joy Phelps of Boxing Social. Munguia is primed to add John Ryder to the list of people he’s finished this weekend.
“I’m going to look to knock out Ryder,” Munguia said, through his translator. “If I don’t, I’m going to show that we have been learning from each and every fight and everything gets better with time.”
The champion acknowledged that John Ryder is a tough guy to stop. Will this assignment be an easy one for Munguia?
John Ryder Ready to Rebound After Dropping Tough Fight to Canelo
In the other corner, John Ryder has gone 4-1 in his last five fights. Last time out, he dropped a unanimous decision to Canelo Alvarez (60-2, 39 KOs) last May in Guadalajara.
Recently, the challenger talked to Seconds Out’s Radio Rahm. Ryder mentioned that he wants to try and derail Munguia’s plans for a possible unification bout in the future.
“Munguia is obviously coming to use me as a stepping stone,” he said. “Obviously, I’ve got other plans. I want to make a statement and listen, I want to get my career back to the heights it needs to be starting with Jaime Munguia, so, go in there, make a statement, and hopefully get a rematch with Canelo.”
A victory on Saturday night in the main event would be a step in the right direction toward a rematch with the top dog at 168 lbs., but will he be able to score an upset?
Analysis, Film Study, and Prediction
You’ve got a classic orthodox vs. southpaw matchup in this main event on Saturday. Who takes it?
Munguia Will Hunt for a Knockdown
Given Jaime Munguia’s undefeated record, it’s obvious that he’s got one mission when he gets in the ring: Get the other guy down on the mat. Gaston Coria learned this lesson the hard way, twice over at that, in late 2022.
During the second round of a scheduled 10, Coria was dropped to the mat with a counter-right hand in the round’s final minute, but he wasn’t done there. In spite of the first knockdown, Coria rose to his feet and continued the match.
The very next round, he knocked Coria down again, this time with a left-handed body shot, kneeling this time. Munguia can make a guy quit if he throws enough punches. Expect no different this time.
Look for Ryder to Tire Munguia Out
In the other corner, John Ryder’s best bet in this main event is to make Jaime Munguia gassed. Exhausting one’s opponent may not be the flashiest way to go in a bout, and neither is it the best way to get footage of the match trending on various social media outlets, but sometimes, it works just the same as a one-punch knockout.
One need look no further than the tape of his fight against Josef Jurko from the summer of 2021. As early as the fourth round of eight, Ryder had Jurko tired, covering his eyes with his gloves to try and block punches to the head. During the fifth round, there was a momentary pause in the action.
Although Jurko could have had the fight stopped, he pressed forward, allowing Ryder to continue to pour it on with unanswered strikes. Mercifully, the official stepped in and called the contest in John Ryder’s favour midway through the period.
If John Ryder can throw and land a barrage of strikes, it’ll be a tough night at the office on Saturday.
Final Thoughts
Out of the four title fights scheduled to take place at Footprint Center this coming weekend, the main event is easily the best one to carve out time and watch. Its winner will pick up an important victory as it relates to his career resume and eventually, his legacy after he retires.
Prediction: Jaime Munguia by Unanimous Decision.
