Jaime Munguia (40-0, 32 KO) returned to action Saturday night against Jimmy Kelly (26-3, 10 KO).
Coming into the fight, many expected Munguia to steam roll Kelly. Instead Munguia found himself struggling against the English fighter as he dealt with Kelly’s impressive movement and Boxing IQ.
Jaime Munguia Knocks Out Jimmy Kelly Despite Early Struggles
Jaime Munguía drops Kelly THREE times & finishes the show 👊#MunguíaKelly pic.twitter.com/uFKPsoa6l5
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) June 12, 2022
Through the first four rounds, Kelly was showing slick boxing, luring Munguia into strong counters with a sneaky left hook.
It was not until the fifth round that we saw the Mexican star turn up the heat as Kelly began to feel the pressure with Munguia landing a strong left that stunned and dropped Kelly. The British prizefighter would beat the count, but looked broken afterwards as he was dropped two more times before the referee had seen enough and ended it at the 2:57 mark of round 5.
After the fight, Munguia admitted that Kelly brought a style that made it difficult for him to get going, but remained calm and confident and eventually he would take over despite the fight going Kelly’s way.
Munguia also added that he plans on either getting a title shot at 160 lbs. or move up to 168 lbs. for meaningful fights.
“I’m ready to go back to 160 (pounds) to fight for a world title or to move up to 168 pounds, I’m ready for any challenge” Munguia told DAZN‘s Chris Mannix
He then brought up WBC middleweight champion Jermall Charlo:
“Show some balls and stop hiding behind Al Haymon and come fight me.” – Jaime Munguia
At 25 years old, now with 40 wins out of 40 pro fights under his belt, it is time for the Tijuana native to get a step up in competition. Despite looking rough against someone tailor made for his skill set, there is not an excuse as to why Munguia should not fight either Charlo, or Demetrius Andrade next.
Promotions and politics aside, it is what Munguia at this point in his career needs to solidify himself as a legitimate boxing star.
