A ticket for the Canelo Sweepstakes was up for grabs, and now there is one clear and worthy ticket-holder.

In a formidable display of power, Mexico’s Jaime Munguia remained unbeaten with a demolition of the usually durable John Ryder at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona, on Saturday night, stopping his British foe in nine rounds in a scheduled 12-round bout after sending him to the canvas no less than four times.

In the first round, the southpaw Ryder set his mind to trying to land one bomb at a time, while Munguia sought to land combinations, connecting a beautiful six-punch combo two minutes into the round.

Ryder, rated at No. 5 by The Ring at super middleweight, tried to impose his bulkier physical frame in the second, pushing and holding Munguia in an attempt to slow the pace of the bout until a combination by Munguia sent Ryder to the canvas less than a minute into the round. Sensing opportunity, and spurred by the “Viva Mexico” chants pouring from the stands, Munguia went for the kill. He had to settle for a dominant 10-8 round after Ryder found a way to fend off Munguia’s onslaughts and survive the round.

Jaime Munguia (left) and John Ryder (right) during their January 27, 2024 fight at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, AZ. Photo by Ed Mulholland/Matchroom

Munguia, rated at No. 9 by The Ring at super middleweight, picked up where he left off in the third, going after his foe with strong punches early on and trying to outbox him as the round progressed. Munguia found success when he was able to move Ryder towards the ropes and catch him there with powerful shots.

Munguia continued trying to corner Ryder on the ropes and pursuing him across the ring in the fourth with some success, until a counter one-two by Munguia with only 15 seconds left in the round deposited Ryder on the canvas again for another 10-8 round.

Ryder came out determined to turn the tables on Munguia in the fifth, and tried to claim the center of the ring to propose a toe-to-toe confrontation, but Munguia doubled down on his bet and landed some powerful counter shots to regain control of the bout. With 30 seconds left, Munguia turned up the heat and backed Ryder on the ropes to establish dominance once again.

Ryder was able to score a few points and maybe even a round in a scorecard or two in the sixth, scoring counters off Munguia’s lazy left jab and looking well-rested and catching a second air. But in the seventh, Munguia recovered to dominate the round and keep Ryder on the defensive.

Jaime Munguia (left) and John Ryder (right) during their January 27, 2024 fight at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, AZ. Photo by Ed Mulholland/Matchroom

Munguia seemed on the verge of scoring the stoppage in the early portion of the eighth round, looking much stronger and fresher as he landed at will on Ryder while he had him pinned against on the ropes, with referee Wes Melton looking on and ready to step in.

The round did finish, and Munguia appeared to come out with a mission in the ninth.

Barely thirty seconds into the round, Ryder went down from a demolishing combination. He beat the count, but was sent down again seconds later in a similar fashion.

After getting up, and with Ryder on the receiving end of a rain of leather, the fight was called off as Ryder’s corner signaled their intention to save their fighter from further punishment. When the referee failed to receive the signal, a confusing moment ensued when the bell rang repeatedly to alert the referee of the corner’s request, as numerous other officials tried to alert Melton of the situation as well. Finally, the fight was stopped at the 1.25 mark of the ninth round.

“I feel very happy because I worked hard for this,” said Munguia. “I know that a lot of people didn’t trust me and that’s why I worked harder to prove them wrong. I know that I have to work on my timing in the ring. Last time I threw a lot of punches but I wanted to control my output more in this fight.”

Asked about a potential fight against Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, Munguia (43-0, 34 knockouts) was quick to shoot out the automatic reply.

“The truth is that it will be a great fight among Mexicans, and if Canelo wants the fight it would be an honor to share the ring with him.”

With the loss, Ryder drops to 32-7 (18 KOs).

Diego M. Morilla has written for The Ring since 2013. He has also written for HBO.com, ESPN.com and many other magazines, websites, newspapers and outlets since 1993. He is a full member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and an elector for the International Boxing Hall of Fame. He has won two first-place awards in the BWAA’s annual writing contest, and he is the moderator of The Ring’s Women’s Ratings Panel. He served as copy editor for the second era of The Ring en Español (2018-2020) and is currently a writer and editor for RingTV.com.

Follow @MorillaBoxing

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