By Ian S Palmer
Unbeaten former WBO Junior Middleweight Champion Jaime Munguia of Mexico takes on Jimmy Kelly of Manchester, England this Saturday, June 11th. The 12-round super middleweight battle from Anaheim, California can be seen live in most nations on DAZN. Munguia last boxed in February when he stopped D’Mitrius Ballard in the third round to defend his WBO Inter-Continental Middleweight Title while Kelly last stepped into the ring in February as well when he edged Kanat Islam via a 10-round majority decision to win the vacant WBO Global Middleweight Title.
The 25-year-old Munguia of Tijuana definitely likes to stay active as this will be his 40th fight since turning pro in July, 2013 when he was a teenager. He enters the contest with a perfect mark of 39-0 with 31 Kos. He first made a name for himself against Sadam Ali when he stepped up in class and stopped him in five rounds in May, 2018 for the WBO Jr. Middleweight Title. He then defended his belt against Liam Smith, Brandon Cook, Takeshi Inoue, Dennis Hogan and Patrick Allotey before moving up to middleweight.
At 160 lbs, he stopped Gary O’Sullivan in the 11th round in 2019 and then halted Tureano Johnson after six to win the vacant WBO Inter Continental Middleweight Title. He stopped Kamil Szeremeta after six rounds before beating Gabriel Rosado by unanimous decision and then halting Ballard. Most of those fights highlighted Munguia’s defensive shortcomings but that’s a part of what makes him so exciting. The other part of his fan-friendly style is the fact he has dynamite in his fists with a current knockout ratio of 79.5 per cent.
Munguia reportedly went 128-10 in the amateurs and now has 170 rounds of pro experience under his belt. He entered the title fight against Sadam Ali in 2018 as a hungry boxer who wanted to make a name for himself on the world stage and he certainly did that. However, he struggled against Dennis Hogan and Takeshi Inoue as he went the distance with both of them and took quite a few shots. He also had trouble making the 154 lb weight limit and after five outings as a middleweight the 6-foot tall Munguia will be taking his 70.5-inch reach up to super middleweight.
The 29-year-old Kelly enters the ring with a record of 26-2 with 10 Ko’s but its a bit deceptive as just 10 of his 28 opponents climbed through the ropes with a winning record. When he did step up in class in the past he was stopped in seven rounds by Liam Smith in 2015 in a shot at the WBO Super Welterweight Title and also had two points deducted in the sixth round for headbutting. His second and last loss came in 2018 when he dropped a unanimous decision to Dennis Hogan and lost his WBO Inter-Continental Super Welterweight Belt.
Kelly had won the title in his previous fight when he stopped Stiliyan Kostov in the fourth round. He also won that same vacant title in 2015 with a 10-round unanimous decision over Martin Fidel Rios. In addition, Kelly captured the vacant WBC Youth Silver and Youth World Super Welterweight Titles in 2015. Kelly made his pro debut in 2012 and has boxed 159 rounds since. He stands 6-feet tall with an unlisted reach, s is the same height as Munguia. However, he doesn’t possess much in the way of power with a current knockout ratio of 35.7 per cent.
Munguia is a world-class boxer who disappoints most fans because of the level of his opposition. He should be taking on fellow top-class fighters at this stage of his career but it simply isn’t happening. He’s an exciting boxer with plenty of power and energy and is taking a backward step by meeting Kelly. There’s no doubt Kelly will give it his best but he doesn’t have the power to keep Munguia off of him or to do any damage. I’m expecting Munguia to deal Kelly his third pro defeat.
