Fight Recap: Munguia Survives Close Call Over Derevyanchenko in FOTY Candidate

Super middleweight Jaime Munguia of Tijuana, Mexico, could have played things a lot safer Saturday night against Sergiy Derevyanchnko of Ukraine at the Toyota Center in Ontario, California.

Instead, Munguia threw caution to the wind and engaged in a wild firefight for 12 hard rounds in a 2023 Fight of the Year candidate in front of 7,647 elated fans, including Hall of Fame great Julio Cesar Chavez Sr.

It was a vicious left hook to the liver, giving Jaime Munguia the knockdown he needed to win a narrow decision. Photo: Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy Boxing

Munguia needed a Hail Mary 12th-round knockdown from a left hook to the ribs of Derevyanchenko to pull out a narrow decision victory over Derevyanchenko. Scores were 115-112 and 114-113 twice. Without the knockdown, the fight would have been a majority draw for Derevyanchenko. Judges agreed on 11 of the 12 rounds; only Dr. Lou Moret scored round three for Munguia. Judges Rudy Barragan and Fernando Villareal scored it for Derevyanchenko.

Munguia and Derevyanchenko: Bombs Away

In the early rounds, Sergiy Derevyanchenko was in control, dictating the pace and landing power shots. Photo: Cris Esqueda, Golden Boy Boxing

Derevyanchenko is known to be slow out of the gate. Not this time. The Ukrainian came right at Munguia, firing off power shots in combination. It seemed to catch Munguia unaware. Instead of employing his height and reach to stay clear, Munguia chose to trade. Both men landed hard shots and countershots with hooks upstairs and downstairs. Derevyanchenko had his best round of the fight in the fifth, hurting Munguia with big left hooks, rocking the tired Mexican fighter, and trying to make it stick by leaning his weight on him. Munguia was fortunate to survive the round.

Trainer Erik Morales told Munguia to stay off the ropes and keep his guard up. He listened and recovered by fighting at distance to give him the time he needed. By the end of the sixth round, the pair returned to trading power shots, with Munguia leading with several good uppercuts.

Competitive Fight Through Eight Rounds

Jaime Munguia settled down and used his jab to set up left hooks and uppercuts. Photo: Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy Boxing

The two men were dead even on the scorecards for the first eight rounds of the fight. In the eighth round, Munguia began employing his jab to the Ukrainian's midsection, which had been lacking from his arsenal. Halfway through the round, the pair traded shots, and it appeared from ringside Derevyanchenko's right knee buckled and touched the canvas. It was not called and not reviewed.

The fight grew rougher as both men started tiring from the effects of the oncoming punches. Pushes became awkward slips, none ruled knockdowns. Both tried to find the formula to make the damage stick and end the fight before the final bell.

Fight Slipping Away From Munguia

Sergiy Derevyanchenko never let up on Jaime Munguia, pulling ahead on the scorecards after ten rounds. Photo: Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy Boxing

Trainer Andre Rozier told Derevyanchenko to box, then fight, and put rounds in the bank. It was working. He drew ahead, winning both the ninth and tenth rounds, rallying and drawing on his experience. During the tenth round, the great Mexican champion Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. stood up from his TV Azteca broadcast commentator's seat to yell instructions at Munguia, telling him to go up the middle with uppercuts at Derevyanchenko.

Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. got so involved while broadcasting for Mexican television ringside, he began shouting out instructions to Jaime Munguia. Photo: Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy Boxing

“You're letting this fight get away from you!” Morales told Munguia. “Looking good, champ!” Rozier told Derevyanchenko.

Munguia needed to find something to slow Derevyanchenko down in the championship rounds. The Mexican won the 11th round as Derevyanchenko finally started showing some fatigue. A big right uppercut hurt Derevyanchenko, just as Chavez Sr. told him. Ringside, Oscar De La Hoya and Bernard Hopkins stood and cheered the Golden Boy Boxing fighter on.

Hail Mary Left Hook Gets It Done For Munguia

Jaime Munguia saved himself from a loss and stayed undefeated when he scored the 12th-round knockdown from a body shot. Photo: Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy Boxing

But it came down to the final round. Munguia needed a knockout or perhaps multiple knockdowns to win. His corner told him to use the jab to set up the uppercut. With the crowd going wild, Munguia's adrenaline took over, doubling up on the left hook. He landed the best left hook of the fight to the ribcage of Derevyanchenko, scoring a knockdown with half the round left.

Munguia did everything he could to end the fight, landing vicious left hooks with the Ukrainian wobbling and referee Gerald White hovering close. Derevyanchenko rolled with the shots, able to dodge as Munguia went headhunting for the knockout. It allowed Derevyanchenko to survive, only to lose on the scorecards due to Munguia's last-minute heroics.

Oscar De La Hoya and Jaime Munguia celebrate his victory in the ring. Photo: Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy Boxing

Munguia called it a great victory. “We made some mistakes, but we're still here undefeated,” said Munguia. “It was difficult, but we were able to catch and hurt him in the tenth round, and then we dropped him in the 12th round. I listened to my corner, to be more accurate to the center of the body. Once he went down, I knew I had him.”

Munguia credited his victory to hard training in the gym. “We are always working hard, always trying to improve.”

For Derevyanchenko, it was deja vu all over again – an exceptional effort against Munguia ultimately ending in a narrow loss after similar losses to Gennadiy Golovkin, Daniel Jacobs, and Carlos Adames. The fight resembled the Golovkin fight turned up several notches.

Jaime Munguia congratulated Sergiy Derevyanchenko after their action-packed FOTY Saturday. Photo: Gayle Falkenthal, NY Fights

Trainer Andre Rozier said he thought Derevyanchenko had pulled it out by banking earlier rounds. “He seems to be the bridesmaid instead of the bride. We never seem to be on the side of the decision. Nonetheless, he's the people's champ, and I'm very, very proud of him.”

Derevyanchenko said after the loss, “I feel good, I feel great. I think it was a close fight. I think I won eight, nine, ten rounds.” He said when he took the liver shot, he could do nothing to stay on his feet. Dervyanchenko said he would continue boxing.

Benavidez Next For Munguia?

Jaime Munguia received a call from Jose Benavidez Sr. after his victory, suggesting a matchup with his son, David Benavidez. Photo: Gayle Falkenthal, NY Fights

It isn't unusual to hear promoters promise a Fight of the Year in the pre-fight promotion. This time, the fight lived up to the promise, and it was nearly Munguia's undoing. So what's next? Told about the scorecards, Rozier said, “If they got in the ring and danced again, everybody would be happy. So let's get it together!” Rozier called for the rematch.

As Munguia spoke to the boxing media ringside, he took a congratulatory phone call from Jose Benavidez Sr., father and trainer of super middleweight David Benavidez. Jose Sr. told Munguia he'd like his son to fight him. Perhaps this signals a lack of opportunity to fight Canelo Alvarez anytime soon. A fight with Munguia would be fan-friendly and far easier for Benavidez than a matchup with Cuban David Morrell. Promotional issues may make this difficult.

Munguia isn't likely to run toward Derevyanchenko again. A better bet is Edgar Berlanga, newly signed to Matchroom Boxing and scheduled to fight Jason Quigley in two weeks on June 24. Berlanga should have no trouble with Quigley, setting up the potential bout with Munguia.

Mosley Jr. Mows Down Ballard

Shane Mosley Jr. (right) put on one of his best

Shane Mosley Jr. of Las Vegas (20-4, 11 KOs) delivered a solid offense-minded performance, stopping D'Mitrius Ballard of Temple Hills, Maryland (21-2-1, 13 KOs) in the co-main event.

“I wanted to show that I'm getting better every time,” said Mosley Jr. after the fight. “It was great to get a win against that caliber of fighters. It was a big step up. The only person he's ever lost to is Munguia. It was great to show I could get a knockout against him.”

In the early rounds, the Ontario crowd grumbled about the clenching and relative lack of action compared to earlier bouts, especially the women's slugfest. But Ballard came on strong with solid bodywork and power punching. He dropped Ballard at the end of the fifth round with multiple hooks to the head, followed by a shot at the back of Ballard's head as he fell hard to the canvas. A quick bell helped him survive.

Shane Mosley Jr. and Golden Boy Boxing president Eric Gomez share a laugh after his victory. Photo: Gayle Falkenthal, NY Fights

Mosley Jr. poured it on in rounds six and seven to capitalize on Ballard's diminished state. He risked punching himself out, but it was the right strategy. Referee Thomas Taylor stopped the fight at 1:42 of Round 7 after Ballard took too many unanswered shots against the ropes from Mosley Jr.

Mosley Jr. wins the NABO Middleweight title. With such a dearth of talent in this division, Mosley Jr. has a potential road to more significant bouts, even with four losses.

Mexico City Madness From Flores and Juarez

Mayeli Flores scored an upset decision victory over Mariana Juarez. Photo: Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy Boxing

This was the fight for people who don't think they like women's boxing. Mayeli Flores of Mexico City (10-1-1, 3 KOs) put it to veteran super bantamweight Mariana Juarez, also of Mexico City (55-13-4, 19 KOs) with eight nonstop rounds of attack.

The 31-year-old Flores took it to the 43-year-old veteran, using upper body movement to dip and avoid incoming fight while blasting away at Juarez.

Mayeli Flores succeeded in proving women's boxing could be exciting on Saturday. Photo: Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy Boxing

After four rounds, Juarez had a bloody face from incoming fire, but she stayed on her feet. Referee Jack Reiss kept a watch on the pair, especially in the final round when it looked like Flores might get the knockout after several wicked uppercuts. But the women heard the final bell beneath the applause from an appreciative audience in Ontario. The scorecards were a formality ­– 80-72, 79-73 X 2, all for Flores.

“I had two objectives in fighting Mariana,” said Flores. “The first was to win, the second was to show the American public that female boxing can be as exciting or more than male boxing. I was well prepared, and I wanted to make sure that I applied pressure and set the pace from the beginning.”

Local Undercard Fighters Deliver For Their Fans

Flyweight Ricardo Sandoval won his second fight of 2023 against Rocco Santomauro. Photo: Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy Boxing

Local talents Ricardo Sandoval of Rialto (22-2, 16 KOs) and Rocco Santomauro of Apple Valley (22-2, 6 KOs) opened the DAZN broadcast with all the flyweight action the fans could ask for. Sandoval got his second victory of the year. He put on an impressive display of hook-happy power punching to head and body. Santomauro wouldn't yield easily, giving fans a terrific effort. At the end of ten, judges saw it for Sandoval by scores of 98-92 and 96-94 X 2.

Richard Chavez (right) put it to Christian Lorezo, winning all six rounds of their fight. Photo: Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy Boxing

Popular super featherweight prospect Jorge Chavez of San Diego (7-0, 5 KOs) had plenty of fans following him to Ontario for his bout with Christian Lorenzo of Los Angeles (3-5-1). He sent them home happy with an action fight and a decision win by three shutout cards of 60-54.

Ontario native Anthony Saldivar (4-0,2 KO) opened the card with a bang, scoring a second-round knockout of Jerome Clayton of Metairie, Louisiana (2-2, 2 KOs) in a super welterweight fight. Saldivar dropped Clayton three times, and per California rules, referee Jack Reiss waved off the fight for the knockout at 2:01 of the second round.