Jaime Munguia Likely To Face Ronald Gavril In Tijuana

This Will Be His Fourth Clash In A Raw This Year

Munguia vs. Gavril Bout Set For December 14th /

By Isaac Nyamungu

Jaime Munguia is eyeing to make 2024 his busiest year since 2018, as he plans to meet Ronald Gavril on December 14th in his native Tijuana.

2024 has already seen Munguia (44-1, 35 KO) ride over John Ryder, fall to Canelo Alvarez, and most recently batter Erik Bazinyan this past Friday 20th October. The hope was that he’d take on Edgar Barlanga or Caleb Plant, but instead it’s Gavril (25-3, 20 KO). This is contrary to the expectations of the fans, who anticipated Munguia to face more experienced boxers.

Individuals perceive this bout as Munguia resuming to his old model of fighting lower-level contenders in record-padding contests. Most of Munguia’s past victories have come against weaker opponents and not the stellar rivalry that one would assume when looking at his 44-1 record.

The 38-year-old is 7-0 over marginal opposition in the six years since his duo-logy with David Benavidez, which saw Gavril floor Benavidez en route to a split decision loss before eking out a single round on a single scorecard in the rematch.

He’s spent his last four fights at 175, but it’s uncertain whether he’ll come down for Munguia or he will just skip the weight cut. It shouldn’t make a huge difference; Gavril doesn’t have a lot to offer besides durability.

On a slip-side, Munguia is staying busy since this would be his fourth bout in 2024, and that could aid him move up the ladder to attain higher rankings. He lost to undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez by a 12-round unanimous decision on May 4th and made life-changing cash in that clash. He would go for a replay to get a second payday.

To secure a rematch against Alvarez Canelo, he will have to win against at least two serious opponents, such as Christian Mbilli as well as Caleb Plant. However, Top Rank promotes Munguia now, therefore, they are likely to play it safe with him, opting to subject him against weaker contender, anticipating that Canelo will finally settle for him for a rematch.

On the other hand, Gavril has won his last seven bouts since losing to David Benavidez by a twelve-round unanimous judgment in their replay, which was done in February 2018.