This past Friday from the Armory in Minneapolis, Minnesota, middleweight contender Willie Monroe Jr. (23-3, 6 KOs )showed off his boxing skill and picked apart Javier Francisco Maciel (33-7, 23 KOs) to score unanimous decision over the ten round distance.
Monroe was dominant with his jab, movement and an array of offensive attacks. He was able to vary his punches enough to keep the aggressive Maciel from landing anything that caused damage.
Maciel looked to score with power punches and body shots, but the former title challenger Monroe was comfortable on the outside and mixing it up inside on his way to winning the fight by scores of 99-91 and 100-90 twice.
Monroe has won two bouts in a row since losing a twelve round unanimous decision to WBO middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders in September 2017.
"After I fought Golovkin, I was off for 13 months before beating John Thompson. I still looked sharp because of my application to the game, and the fact that I never left the gym between fights. Then I beat Gabriel Rosado over 12 rounds on three week’s notice," Monroe said to Premier Boxing Champions.
"After that I was out of the ring for an entire year before I got the title shot against Billy Joe Saunders. So there have been a few ups and downs in my past few fights, and when you’re not being kept busy, you can fall through the cracks. But I feel very fortunate to be in the position I’m in, now."
Now Monroe would like to get in position for a big fight - and one of the targets at the top of his list is WBC mandatory challenger Jermall Charlo (27-0, 21 KOs).
"I was hoping I could be up for the IBF belt since Golovkin’s vacated it, but you have [Ryota Murata] or Jermall Charlo. Since Charlo and I have the same management, I know that’s a fight that can be made to happen," Monroe said.
