Canelo Alvarez drops, beats overmatched Jaime Munguia to retain 168-pound title

Canelo Alvarez dropped and defeated a determined, but overmatched, Jaime Munguia by unanimous decision to retain his undisputed 168-pound championship on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The official scores were 117-110, 116-111 and 115-112.

Munguia (43-1, 34 KOs) threw more punches than Alvarez (61-2-2, 39 KOs) but landed at a relatively low percentage, a result of the champion’s defensive abilities. Meanwhile, Alvarez, who values accuracy over volume, landed the harder, cleaner shots.

One of those clean shots came in Round 4, a right uppercut that put Munguia on the canvas for the first time in his career.

Munguia wouldn’t allow that to be the beginning of the end, however. He continued to fight his heart out, staying busier than Alvarez and finding the target on many occasions.

The younger fighter just wasn’t able to do so enough to win the fight.

Below is a round-by-round recap of Canelo vs. Munguia as it happened:

Canelo vs. Munguia: Round 1

Not much happened until late in the round. Munguia probably won the round with his jab, although not that many landed cleanly. Alvarez landed a few lefts to the body. They opened in the final exchanges, perhaps giving us a preview of what is coming.

Canelo vs. Munguia: Round 2

They mixed it up that round. Munguia continued to jab but he also stood his ground, which resulted in some entertaining exchanges. The problem for Munguia is that Alvarez seemed to avoid most of his punches while landing a number of his own, including body hard body shots.

Canelo vs. Munguia: Round 3

Wow! The ending of that round was wild, as Munguia landed a number of big, clean shots. He came out firing that round, having some success early. Alvarez, more concerned with accuracy than volume, responded by landed a number of eye-catching shots before the entertaining ending.

Canelo vs. Munguia: Round 4

Down goes Munguia! Alvarez put him down with a perfect right uppercut with about 40 seconds remaining in the round. He didn’t seem to be hurt badly but it was difficult to tell. They had engaged in good back-and-forth action before that dramatic moment.

Canelo vs. Munguia: Round 5

Alvarez is in charge. Munguia, recovered from the knockdown, went back to work by punching in high volume. The problem for him is that he can’t land cleanly because of Alvarez’s defense. Meanwhile, the champion is picking his spots beautiful, landing hard, clean shots.

Canelo vs. Munguia: Round 6

Munguia is fighting hard. He’s simply overmatched, like so many of Alvarez’s previous opponents. Munguia looks a little lost, like he really doesn’t know how to proceed. Alvarez is picking him apart and taking little in return. The end may come sooner rather than later.

Canelo vs. Munguia: Round 7

Masterclass from Alvarez. His punches are remarkably accurate, regardless of the target. Give Munguia credit for taking the best Alvarez is dishing out but he has to be wearing down. A body shot from Alvarez seem to hurt Munguia to some degree.

Canelo vs. Munguia: Round 8

Somewhat better round for Munguia, who a threw a lot of punches. I’m not sure how many landed but that kind of volume doesn’t give Alvarez the opportunity to fire back. When Munguia took breathers, Alvarez got some good work done.

Canelo vs. Munguia: Round 9

Another solid round for Munguia, who’s busy and landing some eye-catching shots. No one is going to question his heart, fitness or chin. Alvarez is still the more accurate puncher, though. And his shots obviously hard harder than Munguia’s. The challenger hasn’t hurt Alvarez at all.

Canelo vs. Munguia: Round 10

Munguia might not be winning these rounds but he’s definitely competitive. He’s throwing more punches than Alvarez and some are getting through, including a memorable left hook. Again, Alvarez is more accurate with his shots. Hard to score?

Canelo vs. Munguia: Round 11

Neither guy got much done that round. A lot of missed punches. Munguia was busier, as usual. Alvarez landed in spots but hardly dominated a close round. Alvarez has to be leading on the cards but Munguia has made it a genuine fight.

Canelo vs. Munguia: Round 12

Munguia had demonstrated so much heart and determination that I thought he would come out with his hands flying. Didn’t happen, which probably sealed the victory for Alvarez. Munguia must be exhausted. It’s been a grueling fight. Typical effort from Alvarez, good effort from Munguia.

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Story originally appeared on MMA Junkie