WBO junior middleweight champion Jaime Munguia would like a major fight in the future - and those major opportunities are found in the middleweight division.
In May of last year, Munguia was in line to fight then WBC, WBA, IBO middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin.
But the Nevada State Athletic Commission rejected the contest - explaining that Munguia had never fought as a middleweight and was inexperienced at the top level.
That decision by the NSAC, made him a future star.
After that fight fell out, Munguia was given an opportunity to fight Sadam Ali for the WBO title. And Munguia demolished him in four rounds to capture the belt.
He's already made three defenses of the belt and plans to make another in April.
“I’m happy I didn’t get that opportunity [against Golovkin],” Munguia told Boxing News. “It was better [I didn’t] because my career’s also better right now. Of course, I’d have done a much better job than Martirosyan; I would have gone in there with the mentality to win, the mentality to throw punches.
“I know for a fact that I was going to do a lot better than him, but thank God it didn’t happen, because I won a world title and now I’ll be defending it. I like the exposure, I like all of this, but I still have a lot to do – and I still want to complete a lot of my goals.”
A fight with Golovkin could still be in Munguia's future.
He intends to move up to the middleweight limit if 2020, with his sights set on Saul "Canelo" Alvarez and Golovkin.
“I would like to fight with Canelo or Golovkin,” Munguia said. “Next year, I’ll go to 160-pounds. I have the stature and size – it would be a dream fight. A fight between Mexicans is attractive, steals spotlights.
“I can’t really answer if I’m the anti-Canelo or the opposite to Canelo. However, what I do know is that we can both bring the name of Mexico up; we can both lift the name of Mexico. I want to be the next Mexican idol, like Julio Cesar Chavez; I see myself like this in a few years.
