STATEMENT MADE! JAIME MUNGUIA STOPS JOHN RYDER IN FRONT OF 10,836 FANS
In another career-defining performance and Fight of the Year candidate, the still undefeated, Former World Champion Jaime Munguia (43-0, 34 KOs) sent a message to the super middleweight division in a dramatic fight where he stopped former Interim World Champion John “The Gorilla” Ryder (32-7, 18 KOs) in the ninth round.
Scheduled for 12-rounds, Munguia dropped Ryder four times – once in the second and fourth rounds respectively, and twice in the ninth round. Ryder’s corner waved the white towel to end the fight after the fourth knockdown in the ninth while Ryder suffered punishment by the barrage of punches being landed by Munguia. Munguia took home the WBC Silver Super Middleweight Title amongst the cheers of 10, 836 screaming fans. The event was presented in association with Zanfer Boxing and Matchroom Boxing, live from the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona and broadcast worldwide on DAZN.
“I’m really happy because I worked hard to get ready for this,” said WBC Silver Champion Jaime Mumguia. “I know a lot of people didn’t believe in me, and this is the result of hard work. We are ready for 168. You are correct; last time, I was just throwing punches like crazy, but this time, my timing was better. My timing was perfect. Ryder is a great fighter, and we are ready to keep on going. I’m motivated for the next fight, and it’s going to be better than this one, and it’s going to keep getting bigger. We want the best of the best in 168. We are going to be World Champions. It would be a great fight amongst Mexicans, and if Canelo gives us the chance, it would be an honor to share the ring with him.”
In an explosive co-main event, presented in association with Miguel Cotto Promotions, Villalba, Puerto Rico’s Oscar “El Pupilo” Collazo (9-0, 7 KOs) continued his historic, meteoric rise and successfully defended his WBO Minimumweight World Championship title a second time against Reyneris Gutierrez (10-2, 2 KOs) of Matagalpa, Nicaragua. Collazo dominated from the opening round, breaking Gutierrez down slowly up until the third round where Collazo sent him to the mat. Gutierrez was able to recover, only to be dominated yet again by a flurry of punches leading for the referee to stop the fight at 2:37 in the third.
“I picked my punches, and I knew it was coming eventually. Step by step with my punches, I knew in that round that I was going to land,” said WBO Champion Oscar Collazo. “I’m a good finisher in the ring, and when I see them stumble bad and they’re hurt, I’m coming for the kill. It was a beautiful camp; I did all things well for 12 weeks. I think as a champion, you must work hard always because you know a lot of people want what I got, but I have to keep working hard. I’ll see you all in May or April; I want all the champions! I want to unify this year.”
Adding rounds to his record, Darius “DFG” Fulghum (10-0, 9 KOs) successfully defended his WBA Continental USA Super Middleweight Title against the crafty Alantez “SlyAza” Fox (28-6-1, 13 KOs) in a 10-round contest that went the distance. Fulghum landed a number of powerful shots throughout the fight, but the crafty Fox was able to outmaneuver and stay resilient. The judges awarded the majority decision win to Fulghum with scores of 98-92, 95-95, and 100-90. “I’m really disappointed in my performance tonight. I really wanted to impress the crowd tonight, but at the end of the day, I’m glad that I had the experience because I needed those rounds,” said Darius Fulghum. “Fox is a tough veteran, and I learned a lot about myself in this fight. I can’t wait to go back into the gym, take the lessons I learned, and improve.”
Also on the DAZN broadcast, still undefeated IBF Female Flyweight World Champion Gabriela “Sweet Poison” Fundora (13-0, 6 KOs) of Coachella Valley, California successfully defended her title in a 10-round combat against Christina Cruz (6-1, 0 KOs) of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Co-promoted with Sampson Boxing, the IBF champ was cautious against the seasoned Cruz, ultimately heating up in the later rounds. The referee stopped the fight at 0:59 in the final round. “Christina Cruz is a good fighter and I’m glad she stepped up to the plate because a lot of boxers don’t do that,” said IBF Champion Gabriela Fundora.
“She’s an amazing boxer and when I was younger, I looked up to her because she was an Olympian – I even had a picture of her on my bedroom wall. It was a privilege to share the ring with her tonight and I’m glad the referee stopped the fight when he did – she had turned her body around indicating that she no longer wanted to fight.”
Opening the DAZN broadcast with hot action, Mexico City’s David Picasso Romero (27-0-1, 15 KOs) impressed fans in his U.S debut. The 10-round featherweight fight against Erik Ruiz (17-10-1, 7 KOs) of Oxnard, California went the distance, the judges awarding David Picasso the victory with scores of 98-92, 98-92, and 99-91. On the preliminary card that streamed live on Golden Boy Boxing’s YouTube, Daniel “Junebug” Garcia (8-0, 6 KOs) of Denver, Colorado added another knockout to his stellar record, with a first round stoppage of Phoenix, Arizona’s Daniel Lugo (4-2, 1 KOs). Lugo was unable to recover during the 8-count after a barrage of punches from Garcia, ending the fight at 1:51 in the first. In a slugfest, Gregory “Goyo” Morales (16-1, 9 KOs) of San Antonio, Texas and Ronal Ron (14-5, 11 KOs) of Chino Hills, California went the distance in an eight-round super featherweight fight. Morales powered through a cut over his left eye in the fourth round and was given a warning for a low blow in the fifth. The judges scored the fight 79-73, 78-74, and 80-72 in favor of Morales. In a four-round featherweight fight, former Mexican Olympian Gael “El Terror” Cabrera (4-0, 2 KOs) had the crowd on their feet in a bout that went the distance against Miguel Ceballos (2-1, 2 KOs) of Peoria, Arizona. The back-and-forth action was scored unanimously in favor of Cabrera with totals of 39-35, 39-35, and 40-34. Opening the fight night festivities with a knockout via lefthand to the liver Johnny “Sugarcane” Cañas (3-0, 3 KOs) of Santa Ana, California defeated Kameeko Hall (0-4) of Brunswick, Georgia. The bout was scheduled as a four-round super lightweight fight.
