2022 has been characterized for being a year where big boxing fights have fallen or been postponed and now one more would be added to the list, after the expected middleweight fight between Jermall Charlo and Jaime Munguía will not take place, at least in the short term.
The clash between Charlo and Munguía was not envisioned by boxing fans, but the rumors put it on the map and tempers flared. These are two fighters in their prime who guaranteed a spectacle in their war for the WBC's 160 pounds belt.
Jermall Charlo is undefeated with a record of 32-0-0 (22 KOs) and at the age of 31 has already been world champion in two different weight classes. Mexican Jaime Munguia is 25 years old and has a record of 39-0-0 with 31 KOs. He was a precocious Super welterweight World Champion and is now seeking a second crown in another division.
The culprit for Jermall Charlo vs Jaime Munguia not materializing
When everything seemed to indicate that the expected fight between the American and the Mexican for the WBC Middleweight title was about to be finalized, everything fell apart and it was announced that Jermall Charlo would face Polish Maciej Sulecki (30-2-0, 11 KOs) on June 18 in Houston, Texas.
Stephen Espinoza, president of sports and event programming for Showtime Networks, stated in a remote press conference that he has no doubt about Jaime Munguia's desire to have the fight, however, there was a stumbling block in the negotiation and that came from the Mexican's promotional team, headed by Golden Boy Promotions and legendary former boxer Oscar de la Hoya.
“I would never question the heart of a fighter, certainly someone as accomplished as Munguia. But we had a deal. Munguia reached a deal, he accepted the terms of the fight. So I have no doubt he negotiated, he reached out and said he was willing to accept the fight on these terms. For us, his part was done. He accepted the fight.Things broke down over networks, Munguia’s promoters requested we bring in another platform to collaborate with. The reality is that it didn’t make sense... We tried to make concessions, alternating – we get the first fight, Munguia’s network can get the rematch.”, stated Espinoza.
Thus, it is understood that it was De la Hoya's request to make Charlo vs. Munguia a pay-per-view fight that caused everything to fall apart, costing his fighter the opportunity to have the middleweight title fight he had wanted so badly since last year.
