Jaime Munguia’s comeback will feature a new lead promoter and a familiar voice in his corner as the Mexican super middleweight contender looks to get his career back on track after losing to Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in May.
Munguia (43-1, 34 KOs) has signed a multi-fight contract with Top Rank and he’ll make his promotional debut against Erik Bazinyan (32-0-1, 23 KOs) on Sept. 20 in Arizona, sources informed of the deal told BoxingScene on Tuesday.
The fight will take place at either the Footprint Center in Phoenix or the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale on ESPN.
Munguia is also set to reunite with Hall of Fame fighter and trainer Erik Morales after a two-fight run with Hall of Fame coach Freddie Roach. Munguia trained with Morales beginning in 2019, but Morales was forced to step aside last year due to the political obligations he was pursuing in Tijuana, where Munguia is also from.
Under his new deal with Top Rank, Munguia will still have ties to longtime co-promoter Zanfer Boxing and Fernando Beltran, and Zanfer is slated to have slots on the Top Rank cards that feature Munguia to showcase select fighters from its roster.
An official announcement from Top Rank is forthcoming that will outline Munguia’s signing and the fight against Bazinyan.
Munguia, 27, has made a mark headlining shows for former co-promoter Golden Boy over the last six years, stretching 16 fights with great fanfare and a fan-friendly style. Munguia became a 154-pound titleholder in 2018 and defended the belt five times, but he fought middling opposition without a middleweight title shot until a 2023 Fight of the Year comeback win against Sergiy Derevyanchenko in his 168-pound debut helped set up a fight against John Ryder.
Munguia did what Alvarez couldn’t do and knocked out Ryder in January, helping set up the fight against Alvarez in May, a deal that was brokered by Beltran.
Munguia suffered a knockdown and a unanimous decision defeat in a spirited fight against the undisputed super middleweight champion Alvarez.
Should Munguia bounce back and get past Bazinyan, a matchup against Christian Mbilli awaits – if Mbilli beats Derevyanchenko on Aug. 17. Mbilli is co-promoted by Top Rank and Eye of the Tiger.
Bazinyan, an Armenian based in Canada who is also represented by Camille Estephan’s Eye of the Tiger, appeared vulnerable in his most recent fight, against Shakeel Phinn, which resulted in a split draw. Bazinyan, 29, has scored wins against durable gatekeepers such as Ronald Ellis, Alantez Fox and Marcelo Coceres over the past two years.
Both Bazinyan and Munguia have offensive fire and defensive deficiencies, which means their September showdown in the desert should be an entertaining slugfest for as long as it lasts.
Munguia joining forces with Top Rank continues the rich history that Tijuana-based Zanfer and Top Rank have enjoyed throughout the years co-promoting fights with the likes of Morales, Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. and Jr., Juan Manuel Marquez, Jose Luis Castillo, Jorge Arce, Fernando Montiel, Emanuel Navarrete, Rafael Espinoza and Miguel Berchelt, among others.
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com.
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