Trainer Jose Benavidez Sr. advises Jaime Munguia not to take the rematch with Bruno Surace after being knocked out by him in the sixth round last Saturday night in Tijuana, Mexico, on December 14th.
Jose Sr. says Surace (26-0-2, 5 KOs) will be “super motivated” after his victory, and he could cause another “upset” in the rematch with the former WBO junior middleweight champion Munguia (44-2, 35 KOs). Benavidez Sr. wants Munguia to walk away from the loss, live his life, and not take a second fight.
Avoiding The Rematch
Jose Sr. feels Munguia should have finished Surace after dropping him in round two. He thinks he let him off the hook because he wanted to please the fans. It didn’t look like that. It appeared Munguia tried to knock him out, but he changed his mind after Surace, 26, nailed him with a massive right hand to the head.
That shot made Munguia back off because it was as hard as the one that knocked him out in the sixth.
According to Salvador Rodriguez of ESPN Knockout, Munguia’s promoters at Zanfer want to activate the rematch clause in their contract with Surace to force a second fight in the first half of 2025.
“I think he was taking his time, trying to look for the perfect shot. I think he should have been Jaime,” said Jose Benavidez Sr. to Fight Hub TV when asked why Jaime Munguia suffered an upset knockout loss to Bruno Surace last Saturday night.
“I think he [Munguia] was trying to please the people, his fans, and that’s what happened. I think if he had pushed the gas a little bit more, I think he would have stopped him when he dropped him [in round two]. He probably thought, ‘This guy is too easy. I’m going to give my fans a show, and then I can put him out.’
“That’s a big mistake that he made. I think he should have stopped him, and he should have went with everything and took things serious. It’s a little hard. I would let that go away. I would not take the rematch. I would go on with my life and not accept that fight,” said Jose Sr. when asked if Munguia should take the rematch with Surace.
It would be interesting to know if Jose Sr. would have the same attitude about not taking the rematch if his son, David Benavidez, was knocked out by Surace. Would he recommend that David not activate the rematch clause if Surace poleaxed him in the sixth round last Saturday night?
“Now that guy is in his mind. That guy is super motivated, and he showed the world what he could do. You can imagine the motivation he’s at right now. Actually, he’s [Surace] a pretty good fighter. He counted really well, and I think we could have another upset,” said Jose Sr.
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