By Norm Frauenheim
PHOENIX — Jaime Munguia, quiet and polite, respects Canelo Alvarez.
But he doesn’t respect what Canelo said last week.
In interviews throughout the week before Canelo’s one-sided decision over Edgar Berlanga, Canelo said he carried Munguia last May in their super-middleweight fight last May.
“Truth is, I found it disrespectful,” Munguia told Boxing Scene and The Boxing Hour through a translator after he appeared at a west Phoenix gym, not far from Glendale where he’ll fight Canada Erik Bazinyan Friday night at Desert Diamond Arena in a super-middleweight fight televised by ESPN.
Canelo said he did not knock out Munguia because he didn’t want to embarrass the 27-year-old fellow Mexican, who got up from a fourth-round knockdown. When first asked about Canelo’s claim, Munguia simply said that he didn’t believe it.
“It was a good fight,” Munguia said during a media appearance at the Top Rank gym last Friday. “It was a close fight. That what I think.”
After calling Canelo’s public assertion disrespectful, Munguia pointed out that Canelo didn’t knock out Berlanga, either. Canelo had promised that he would stop Berlanga within eight rounds.
Munguia, who is returning to Arizona after his January stoppage of John Ryder in downtown Phoenix at the Footprint Center, said he watched the pay-per-view telecast of Canelo’s scorecard victory over Berlanga at T-Mobile Arena. He complemented Canelo’s performance, saying he fought “an intelligent” fight.
“It was good for the fans.” Munguia. said.
Munguia also said he outperformed Berlnanga.
“I outperformed him in several way,” Munguia said.”It threw more punches, I was closer on the scorecards.”
Munguia goes into the fight against Bazinyan reunited with trainer Erick Morales, who spent most of last year running for political office.Moraes, of Tijuana, won a stea in what is the Mexican Congress..
Morales is also skeptical of Canelo claim.
“I don’t believe it,” he said.
