Maturing Jaime Munguia relishing the prospect of his prime

Jaime Munguia has warned Erik Bazinyan that after losing to Saul “Canelo” Alvarez he is entering his prime.

The Mexican, 27, and Bazinyan fight at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona on September 20, in what represents not only Munguia’s first fight since signing for Top Rank, but first since his only defeat.

It was in May, at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena against his compatriot Alvarez on Cinco de Mayo weekend, that Munguia produced one of his finest performances to recover from a fourth-round knockdown and consistently entertain throughout the course of losing a unanimous decision.

The improvement he showed under his then-trainer Freddie Roach complemented his finest victories, over John Ryder and Sergiy Derevyanchenko, in his previous two fights, and having since reunited with Erik Morales after his time with Roach, the experience gained against the great Alvarez means he believes he is on course to improve further. 

“I believe I’m entering my prime,” he said. “There’s still much to learn and many things to improve. But I feel like I’m entering a great time in my career.

“I feel good at 168lbs. I have adjusted very well. I feel very good making weight, and I have no problem. Making 160 and 154 took a lot of work for me. Right now, I’m doing well. The goal right now is to become world champion again but at 168lbs.

“I’m very excited to return to Arizona. When I fought there in January [against Ryder], the people gave me a warm welcome. We had a full house in Phoenix. So, I’m excited to go back.”

The Armenian-Canadian Bazinyan, 29, remains undefeated.

“Erik Bazyinan is a good fighter,” Munguia continued. “He switches stances. We need to be careful with that. He’s taller and has a longer reach than me. He has a good jab. He can punch well on the inside. He’s a fighter who comes with all the desire to excel.”