Canelo Alvarez Vs Jaime Munguia Betting Tips

Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez is in action this weekend as he fights for the first time in 2024 on Cinco de Mayo weekend.

The Mexican superstar faces a potentially stern test against compatriot Jaime Munguia, who was last seen in January in a stoppage win over John Ryder.

This is Canelo’s first bout against a fellow countryman since 2017 and Munguia brings a perfect 43-0 record to the table, with 34 of his wins coming inside the distance.

Tip 1 - Canelo Alvarez to win by decision @ 3/4

This fight is an interesting match-up of styles as counterpunching maestro Canelo comes up against the aggressive Munguia.

Munguia, who has previously held a world title at super welterweight, tends to move in and out and uses his combinations - often to devastating effect - and that is a tactic that has caused Canelo problems previously, perhaps most notably in his last loss to Dmitrii Bivol.

If Munguia can execute his game plan perfectly, Canelo could be in a spot of trouble here but that does look unlikely.

Bivol had a significant size advantage in their bout, as it was a light heavyweight title fight, and the more likely scenario is Canelo works out his opponent’s rhythm and finds a way to slow down and dictate the pace.

Canelo’s success as a counter puncher stems from the fact that he carries awesome power, which makes his opponents afraid to engage. This may not work in a conventional sense against Munguia as he is an incredibly tough and durable fighter and he is unlikely to fear Canelo.

However, he also hasn’t come up against anyone with the same kind of defensive skill set as the Mexican legend and he could end up missing his own shots and getting caught himself.

There may be some early fireworks, but Canelo has the experience and class to work out a route to victory. The defending champion will eventually find a way to dictate proceedings but a stoppage against the unbeaten Munguia looks unlikely, so take a chance on a points win for Canelo.

Tip 2 - Jamie Munguia total knockdowns scored over 0.5 @ 6/1

Munguia is the 15/4 underdog in the standard fight betting market, but anyone looking to back an upset may be better off considering the 6/1 on offer for the 27-year-old to record a knockdown.

Munguia will look to make a fast start in a bid to try and catch Canelo out and disrupt his game plan and, if he is able to do that, he could record an early knockdown.

Admittedly, Canelo very rarely gets caught and has never even been knocked down as a professional, but Munguia clearly carries plenty of power as 34 of his 43 wins have come inside the distance and he has an outside chance of pulling off an upset and scoring a knockdown.