Saturday night in Phoenix, Arizona at the Footprint Center, was a statement night for both Jaime Munguia and John Ryder. They both entered that ring Saturday night with something to prove. For Ryder, he had to prove he still had gas in the tank after a tough loss against Canelo. On the other hand, Munguia had to prove he can beat a tough opponent. Although he was 43-0 heading into Saturday night, he did not beat too many high value names. That all changed after a statement win against John Ryder. After 4 knockdowns, the towel was thrown and Munguia moved to 43-0.
Now, Munguia looks forward to a potential match vs Canelo Alvarez in September of this year. While on the other side of things, Ryder has much to think about after the loss to Munguia. The Phoenix crowd may have witnessed Ryders last match now that he has suffered back to back losses.
But, Before the big match started, the undercard built up the tension and excitement for the main event. Starting off with Johnathan Cañas vs. Kameeko Hall where Cañas won by TKO in 1 minute and 4 seconds dropping Hall to 0-4.
The second of the night may have been one of the best of the night. Gael Cabrera, hailing from Sonora, Mexico took on Arizona’s own Miguel Ceballos. Despite Ceballos being from Ariozna, there were many Cabrera fans in attendance, which ultimately helped Cabrera earn the win. It was a tough 4 round match that saw Cabrera dominate for most of the match with some huge hits. On the other hand, Ceballos’ toughness stood out. While most fighters may have given up after a couple huge hits, Ceballos did not give up and continued to stand ten toes down and earn the respect of Cabrera as they both hugged and gave each other respect at the end. Furthermore, Greogory Morales vs Ronal Ron was a slow paced match with Morales winning by unanimous decision. Next, was the battle of the Daniels. With Daniel Garcia taking on Phoenix’s Daniel Lugo. The match only lasted 1 minute and 51 seconds, with Garcia knocking out Lugo with a brutal right hook.
Then, we finally entered the DAZN opener with David Picasso vs. Erik Ruiz. Picasso picked up momentum right when the bell sounded. Despite a bit of a comeback from Ruiz, the match went the full ten rounds with Picasso winning by unanimous decision.
Boxing is not only for men. With the IBF Flyweight Title on the line, Gabriela Fundora and Christina Cruz put on one of the best fights of the night. Cruz started off strong and it looked like Fundora was about to lose her championship based on the score cards. Eventually, Fundora built up momentum and won after a left hook that took Cruz out of the match.
What was expected to be one of the best matches, Darius Fulghum vs. Alantez Fox, did not meet expectations. The crowd was consistently booing the two fighters because for a majority of the match, they were holding each other, which made for a boring fight as a whole. The crowd was so bored, they began to do the wave throughout the arena. Although Fulghum was still able to remain undefeated and still WBA Continental USA Super Middleweight champion, he was congratulated with boos.
The co-main event was nothing short of exceptional. Before the big main event, the Phoenix Crowd had the privilege of witnessing Oscar Collazo knockout Reyneris Gutierrez in the thrid round of a 12 round match up. Going back to the press conference, Collazo mentioned he wanted to defend his title 5 times in 2024.
Oscar De La Hoya even co-signed saying he will personally present Collazo with a briefcase full of cash if Collazo does just that. It is January and he has one title defense down, with 4 more to go. We will stay tuned to see if Collazo earns that briefcase full of cash.
Overall, the night seen every champion retain their championship. A couple of brutal first round knockouts. Some statement making wins and possibly John Ryder’s last match as a professional boxer. Either way you put it, it was a great night for boxing fans in Phoenix. Which is according to Oscar De La Hoya a “great fight town.”
Recap Written by: Al Feezy
