Canelo wants to pass Mexican torch to teammate Munguia

Canelo Alvarez wants Jaime Munguia to carry the torch for Mexican boxing once his own career winds down.

Speaking on the Mr. Verzace Podcast, per The Ring's Rick Reeno, the four-division champion said he hopes his Eddy Reynoso-trained teammate becomes the next face of the sport in Mexico. "I hope and I would love to pass the torch to Munguia," Alvarez said. Munguia scored a wide unanimous decision over Armando Resendiz on May 2 in Las Vegas to claim the WBA middleweight/" class="internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2">super middleweight belt, his first world title since vacating the WBO junior middleweight strap in 2019.

Why Alvarez won't pursue Munguia rematch despite titles

Alvarez, who turns 36 in July, beat Munguia on points last May to defend his unified 168-pound titles. He watched his friend's camp closely this spring and sat ringside for the Resendiz fight. "He learned a lot, he listened, he worked very hard and he's a very good guy," Alvarez said. "He deserves everything." The Mexican star added that Munguia showed tangible improvements in the ring against Resendiz, crediting the work done at Reynoso's gym.

Alvarez is scheduled to face WBC titleholder Christian Mbilli on September 12 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. If he wins and creates a unification scenario with Munguia, Alvarez said he will not pursue it. "I'm not gonna fight Munguia again," he told Reeno. "We're on the same team. We like Munguia, he's a great person. We're never going to fight again." Munguia stands 46-2 with 35 knockouts.

Alvarez's Mbilli fight will mark his first ring appearance of 2026.

Source: ringmagazine.com