Cris Esqueda/ Golden Boy PromotionsNORTH HOLLYWOOD, California – Manny Robles has been through this before – the whirlwind of transporting a fighter from virtual anonymity to a world title with all eyes upon them.
In the case of Mexico’s Jose Armando “Toro” Resendiz, Robles has watched his 11:1 underdog upset former titlist Caleb Plant last year, then get elevated to full WBA 168lbs champion upon the retirement of Terence Crawford, and now move on to a May 2 title defense against former junior middleweight titleholder Jaime Munguia.
“Dreams do come true when you put your mind to it,” Robles surmised in reference to both Resendiz, 16-2 (11 KOs), and his former overnight heavyweight champion, Andy Ruiz Jnr.
“When you put the work in, show up everyday and stay consistent, and never allow anyone to say what you can’t do, then things like this happen. Stay grounded, stay humble, stay disciplined.”
That describes Resendiz, 27, who edged Plant by split decision in May 2025, and now returns to defend his new belt against fellow Mexican Munguia 45-2, (35 KOs), who unsuccessfully challenged Saul “Canelo” Alvarez for the undisputed super middleweight championship in 2024.
Resendiz vs. Munguia is the co-main event to the WBA/WBO cruiserweight title defense by Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez against WBC light heavyweight titlist David Benavidez on a Prime Video/DAZN pay-per-view at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena.
“What an honor to be among such great fighters. I’m not taking this for granted,” Resendiz told BoxingScene at a media workout. “I’m motivated and eager to show even more.
“Fighting the big names always motivates me. What I’m going to do is give my best in the ring. As long as I do that, everything’s fine.”
The importance of the bout heightened exponentially Monday when a boxing official connected to Canelo told BoxingScene that WBC titleholder Christian Mbilli is not necessarily the frontrunner for Alvarez’s expected September 12 bout in Saudi Arabia. Rather, Mbilli is “in the mix” along with Resendiz and Hamzah Sheeraz, who will face Alem Begic for the vacant WBO belt on May 23.
“It goes back to what I said before the Plant fight – that there’s no such thing as a tune-up fight,” TGB Promotions head Tom Brown told BoxingScene in reference to Resendiz shocking Plant. “There’s your proof. The kid’s now sitting here as super middleweight champion of the world at 16-2 on this big pay-per-view. And I think on May 2, he’s going to prove that was no fluke.
“That just happens in boxing, and now he’s got this big platform to go out and prove himself, and I think he will.”
Brown said it’s stories like Resendiz’s that redeem his belief in the beauty of the rugged sport.
“He’s got that ‘it’ factor, and whenever they strap a belt around you, you get that much better, too,” Brown said. “The belt just gives you a jolt of confidence. He’s going to truly believe he can win, train a little harder, walk in [to the ring] second, knowing he’s the world champion. He meets a guy with a ton of experience across from him. It’s not an easy fight. But I know they see some chinks in [Munguia’s] armor, that it’s a fight for him to go take.”
Resendiz said his year away from the ring with Robles has been an inspiration, as the Southern California-based cornerman has assembled an array of quality sparring partners who chose Resendiz over Munguia to further the new titleholder’s development.
“You learn a lot each day with Coach Manny and I feel my conditioning has gotten so much better. My technique has been polished because I’m in the gym every day,” he said.
Robles has seen the sudden fame of a new belt contribute to Ruiz’s downfall. With Resendiz, the tale is different.
“I like our chances. We feel Toro’s a much better fighter today. Not taking anything against Munguia – a former world champion who fought for a title in the weight class – I just feel that Toro is at a different level right now, precisely by what he’s shown me in this camp,” Robles said.
Given that Munguia, 29, has endured a defeat to Alvarez, an upset knockout loss to Bruno Surace and a PED case he ultimately conquered over the last two years, the expectation is that the high stakes and fighting styles will make Resendiz-Munguia fight of the night.
“[Resendiz] has got a lot going for him, and the division is wide open. This could really elevate him as the guy to beat at 168 – fighting a well-known guy here, an ex-world champion who was in the ring and didn’t get knocked out by Canelo,” Brown said. “He’s got a very formidable opponent in front of him with Munguia needing to win, so we’re going to get a real fight here.
“[Munguia’s] fighting for his reputation, and some of the crap he’s been through, including the weird loss in Tijuana. He’s avenged that, and we know he’s a true Mexican warrior. This is going back to the old glory days of L.A. boxing, a fight you could put in a phone booth because these guys will be going at it from go.”
Robles stopped short of saying his fighter can do what Alvarez couldn’t by finishing Munguia.
“We’re not looking ahead. We’re focused on Munguia now, but once we get that ‘W,’ it’d be great to have the opportunity to fight Canelo. That’d be another dream come true,” Robles said. “We’ll do our best to get the win against Munguia. He has a great trainer [Eddy Reynoso] and team. But we’re prepared for the test at hand.”
Resendiz has allowed himself to envision a victory over Munguia, and where that could next take his storybook career.
“Oh, it’s absolutely thrilling. I do think about this fight and all it could be, and what’s next,” Resendiz said. “I’m really excited, but I’ve got to stay grounded.”
