Super middleweight Jaime Munguia may return to the ring on Sept. 21 against Erik Bazinyan in Arizona, according to a report from ESPN’s Salvador Rodriguez.
Munguia (43-1, 34 KOs), 27, will be aiming to rebound after suffering his first professional defeat to Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in May, a bout that also marked the first time he had been knocked down as a professional.
Before his loss to Alvarez, Munguia secured victories over Sergiy Derevyanchenko and John Ryder. Munguia is currently ranked No. 2 by the WBC, No. 6 by the WBA and WBO, and No. 7 by the IBF.
Munguia’s prospective opponent, according to a report posted to Rodriguez’s X account Tuesday: 29-year-old Canadian Erik Bazinyan (32-0-1, 23 KOs), who is coming off a controversial draw with Shakeel Phinn, a decision many believed should have gone to Phinn.
Despite that, Bazinyan holds the No. 2 ranking by the WBO, the No. 3 ranking by the WBA, the No. 6 ranking by the WBC and the No. 8 ranking by the IBF.
Facing Munguia would represent a significant step up in competition for Bazinyan, whose notable victories include a stoppage win over Ronald Ellis last October and a majority decision win over Alantez Fox in February 2023.
Bazinyan has had only three fights outside of Canada – two in the United States and one in Mexico. The last time he fought in the U.S. was December 2019 against Saul Roman, whom he stopped in three rounds.
Read the full article here
