A homecoming event turned into a disaster for Jaime Munguia, who was knocked out cold by unheralded Frenchman Bruno Surace in six rounds in Tijuana on Saturday. The official time was 2:36.
WATCH: Jaime Munguia vs. Bruno Surace, exclusively on ESPN+
Surace (26-0-2, 5 KOs) was decked by an explosive left hook in round two and was way behind in the scoring. However, the old cliche is that in boxing it only takes one punch, which is precisely what Surace found, blasting Munguia to the canvas with an overhand right to the chin in the sixth.
No interviews were conducted after the fight, probably because no one expected Surace to win and there was no translator available. This was almost unquestionably the Upset of the Year.
UPSET ALERT. UPSET ALERT.
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) December 15, 2024
SURACE JUST KO'D MUNGUIA 🤯 pic.twitter.com/cvw8hC89oQ
It was a tentative opening round with both men fencing behind their jab and using their feet. As expected, Munguia was the one advancing with Surace moving side to side around the perimeter of the ring.
The visitor was just getting busy in round two when he was nailed by a chilling left hook from Munguia. Badly hurt, Surace’s senses came back to him during the count but it was a rude awakening at world level and his situation looked ominous.
Following the knockdown, Munguia began layering his offense. He targeted the liver with a powerful left hook and also made good use of the right hand to the head as Surace continued to dissemble. The Frenchman landed a nice combination at the end of round three but it was nuisance value.
Surace did score a nice left uppercut in the fifth but was paid back in full by a right uppercut moments later. That pattern was constant. Munguia landed flush and the shots had an effect, whereas the visitor’s punches bounced off the target and did no damage.
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And then it happened. Coming off the ropes, Surace moved to his right and created the requisite space for the punch of a lifetime. Munguia didn't know what hit him as mouths fell open all around ringside.
In May, Munguia was dropped and outpointed by unified super middleweight king Canelo Alvarez. Undeterred, the 28-year-old boxer-puncher got back on the horse and scored an impressive 10th-round TKO over the previously unbeaten Erik Bazinyan in September.
Big showdowns against the likes of former world champion Caleb Plant were being discussed for 2025 but all of that has gone up in smoke. The only fight that makes sense for Munguia now is against the only man to have handed him a stoppage defeat. He falls to 44-2 (35 KOs)
Jaime Munguia vs. Bruno Surace fight card
- Bruno Surace def. Jaime Munguia via KO 6 (2:36); Super Middleweights
- Alan Picasso Romero def. Yehison Cuello via TKO 3 (1:55); Super Bantamweights
- Sebastian Hernandez def. Sergio Martin Sosa via TKO (2:39); Super Bantamweights
- Jorge Garcia Perez def. Kudratillo Abdukakhorov via UD 10 (99-90, 99-90, 97-92); Super Welterweights
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