Jaime Munguia still covets a fight with 160-pound titleholder Jermall Charlo but he’ll have another man in front of him Saturday in Anaheim, California (DAZN).
Munguia, a former 154-pound champ, will face second choice Jimmy Kelly in a stay-busy fight as he continues to lobby for a high-level fight.
Kelly (26-2, 10 KOs) is a solid, experienced middleweight but not the big-name opponent the Mexican is seeking.
“We hope this next fight we get a big challenge and a big fight. I think Charlo. I would like that fight,” Munguia told FightHubTV.com.
Munguia (39-0, 31 KOs) is 5-0 against respectable opposition since moving up to 160 pounds, including a third-round knockout of D’Mitrius Ballard in February.
He and Charlo seemed to have a deal in place to fight next month on Showtime – both fighters agreed to the terms – but negotiations broke off when Golden Boy Promotions, which handles Munguia, demanded that DAZN play a role in the domestic broadcast.
Showtime offered Golden Boy-DAZN overseas rights and the rights to a rematch but the offers weren’t accepted.
That forced both fighters to seek new opponents. Charlo settled on Maciej Sulecki, who he is expected to fight soon after Charlo injured his back during trainer. And Munguia will face Kelly.
Munguia isn’t pretending that Kelly is in his class – the Englishman is about a 30-1 underdog – but he believes people might be underestimating him.
Erik Morales, Munguia’s trainer, expects Kelly to use movement to frustrate his fighter.
“I think he’s good but obviously a lot of people don’t think he is,” Munguia said. “I’ve seen him. I think he’s a little difficult. I know he’s very motivated to win and take away my “0”. But we are very prepared. We will do well.”
Munguia made one change for the fight, moving his training camp from high altitude outside Mexico City to high altitude in Southern California, in Big Bear.
He and trainer Erik Morales decided to change locations to get him better sparring. Quality middleweights are hard to come by in Mexico, even as workout partners.
“Truthfully it was due to the lack of sparring in Mexico due to my weight,” he said. “It’s hard to find sparring my size. That’s why I came to the U.S.”
The next step, assuming he beats Kelly, is to find a high-profile opponent his size.
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