By Manouk Akopyan

Jaime Munguia’s days as a junior middleweight fighter are numbered.

Munguia said Tuesday that his Sept. 14 affair against Patrick Allotey will be his last in the division.

“My plan is to finish my time at 154 with a big, spectacular show,” Munguia told BoxingScene.com through an interpreter.

Fernando Beltran, president of Zanfer Promotions, told Boxing Scene that the fight won’t take place at 154, but most likely at 156. Contracts will be finalized later this week with a catchweight.

Beltran said the little-known Alllotey, from Ghana, was a palatable opponent for the WBO junior middleweight champion because he could fluctuate in weight. A Munguia fight with Jessie Vargas was close to being a done deal, but the smaller Vargas insisted on the fight taking place at 154. In the end, Alllotey was awarded to be Munguia’s Mexican Independence Day audition, and perhaps move forward in being another Latino torchbearer for Golden Boy, much like Canelo Alvarez has.

Munguia (33-0, 26 knockouts) will also have a new trainer in his corner in fellow Tijuana native and legendary boxer Erik Morales, who’ll be helping him with his body and technical transformation.

“Erik brings valuable experience. Munguia is aggressive, so he’s not going to mess with that too much,” Eric Gomez, president of Golden Boy, told Boxing Scene. “He will help more with the little things, like using his jab and mixing punches and combinations, moving his head a little bit more.”

Morales said he will be looking to tighten his fighter’s all-around game and preach to his 22-year-old understudy the importance of staying calm during high-leverage situations.

Golden Boy matchmaker Robert Diaz said the addition of Morales in Munguia’s corner will have a positive effect as a fight between Munguia and Alvarez slowly shapes up. It’s a fight Diaz is definitely interested in making a reality.

“Some of the best fights have been civil wars, and a fight between Canelo and Munguia would not be an exception,” said Diaz. “It’s a fight I know they want, so it’s all about the right timing once Munguia moves up to 160.”

“We want to fight the great Canelo Alvarez. Why not?” added Beltran. “As long as we continue to get Jaime experience and learn. He’s only 22, so we’re not in a hurry. But we want the fight.”

Manouk Akopyan has been a member of the Boxing Writers Assn. of America since 2011 and has written for the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, the Guardian and Philadelphia Inquirer. He can reached on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan or via email at manouk.akopyan@gmail.com.