Jaime Munguía (43-0, 34 KOs) unleashed chaos, steamrolling John Ryder (32-7, 18 KOs) into a ninth-round TKO defeat during their headline clash on Saturday night at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona.
From the get-go, Munguía cranked up the heat with lightning-fast hands, relentless energy, and suffocating pressure, making ‘The Gorilla’ Ryder look like he wandered into the wrong jungle against the Mexican powerhouse.
Ryder found himself kissing the canvas in rounds two and four but didn’t throw in the towel just yet. By the sixth, he was slinging back, landing hefty counterpunches and jabs that made Munguía think twice before pouncing like before.
The ninth round turned grim for Ryder when Munguía hammered in a blistering right, sending him crashing to the canvas with a thud.
Ryder managed to stumble to his feet, looking like he’d just had a chat with a freight train. Sensing the kill, Munguía pounced again, hammering Ryder back down for another visit to the canvas.
Ryder, ever the warrior, clawed his way up at the eight count and managed to snap a few zingers to Munguía’s noggin. But just as he was gearing up for more, his corner chucked in the towel, and Referee Wes Melton called time on the demolition at 1:25 of round nine.
Ryder, at 35, gave it his all, facing off against the sprightlier, swifter Munguía. Ryder seemed to have packed on some pounds since his last tango with Canelo last May, perhaps hoping for some added oomph.
However, the extra bulk only made him an easier target for Munguía, slowing him down when agility was the need of the hour.
John Ryder, stepping into the ring with more years under his belt than a vintage whisky, found himself in a scrap that was less of a fairy tale and more of a reality check. The man known as ‘The Gorilla’ might have been better off in the jungle, because in Phoenix, Arizona, he was more like a confused tourist who took a wrong turn into a hurricane named Jaime Munguía.
Post-fight, Munguía threw a dart at a potential brawl with Canelo Alvarez on May 4th. If David Benavidez or Jermall Charlo don’t snag that golden ticket, Munguía stands ready as a stellar plan C.
Benavidez might have a stronger claim for a Canelo clash, but rumor has it he’s being kept on ice for September.
Should the Canelo fight remain a pipe dream, Munguía might fancy a crack at David Morrell Jr. for the WBA ‘regular’ super middleweight crown.
