Canelo-Munguia: Full Pay-Per-View Lineup Announced For May 4
Two welterweight matchups and a featherweight clash grace the Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez-Jaime Munguia undercard.
The pay-per-view lineup was confirmed for the May 4 Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on Prime show. The three undercard bouts and Alvarez-Munguia will all air live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
PBC confirmed a pair of welterweight fights with secondary titles at stake.
The evening’s chief support pits interim WBC 147-pound titlist Mario Barrios versus Argentina’s Fabio Maidana. Lithuania’s Eimantas Stanionis will end a hiatus of more than two years as he defends his WBA ‘Regular’ 147-pound belt versus Venezuela’s Gabriel Maestre.
As previously reported by The Ring, Brandon Figueroa will defend his interim WBC featherweight title versus Jessie Magdaleno.
Barrios (28-2, 18 knockouts), No. 7 at 147, will appear on a Canelo undercard for the second straight time. He won the interim WBC title in a twelve-round decision over former WBA titlist Yordenis Ugas last September 30 at T-Mobile Arena. The win was his second straight after back-to-back defeats to Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis and Keith Thurman.
“I’m thrilled to be back in the ring for the co-main event of the biggest Mexican fight in history and during Cinco de Mayo weekend,” said Barrios. “Fabian Maidana is a tough warrior like me, so the fans are definitely in for an exciting fight. Defending my title is priority number one, and I’m going to do it with intelligence and bad intentions.
“Everyone knows that when I step into the ring, I leave it all in there. This will be no different. On May 4, the fans can expect a Mexico vs. Argentina war.”
Maidana (22-2, 16 KOs) enters his first fight with any version of a major title at stake. He has won his last four starts, all in his native Argentina and versus modest opposition.
“I’m very happy to be fighting on this card against a great champion like Mario Barrios,” said Maidana, whose older brother Marcos was a former WBA welterweight titlist. “We come to win and give our best to the mecca of boxing, Las Vegas.
“The world knows my brother beat Floyd Mayweather on Cinco de Mayo, and I plan to do the same against Barrios. I’m fighting for my people in Argentina, and I’m coming to win.”
Stanionis (14-0, 9 KOs) has not fought since his April 2022 secondary title win over Radzhab Butaev. He was twice scheduled to face Vergil Ortiz in 2023. Both times resulted in fight cancellations, including Ortiz’s withdrawal during fight week for their rescheduled bout last July.
Efforts to get back in the ring before year’s end proved futile. Stanionis now afforded the chance to defend his title for the first time, albeit after a career-long ring absence.
“I’m so excited to get back in the ring. I feel like a kid in a candy store who gets to choose any kind of candy he wants,” said Stanionis. “This is especially exciting for me because I am a big fan of Canelo Álvarez. I love watching his fights and as a kid, I dreamed of fighting on Cinco de Mayo in front of all those great Mexican fans. It motivates me even more to give them a great fight.
“I know that Gabriel Maestre is tough and has power. We fought in the amateurs and I know it’s a great matchup of styles. I’m going to bring the action and so will he. You can definitely expect fireworks on May 4.”
Stanionis beat Maestre via three-round decision during the second round of the 2015 AIBA World Championships. Both boxers went on to compete in the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Maestre (6-0-1, 5 KOs) also represented Venezuela in the 2012 London Olympics. As a pro, he was quickly advanced to the title stage.
However, Maestre’s August 2021 decision interim WBA title win over Mykal Fox was viewed as a robbery. It also forever changed the way the WBA conducted business. Maestre was relieved of the belt at the start of the sanctioning body’s ongoing title reduction policy.
The 37-year-old boxer—now based in Colombia—has fought just three times since then. He fought to a draw with Taras Shelestyuk in April 2022, followed by two early stoppage wins last year.
Maestre stopped two-division titlist Devon Alexander inside of three rounds last April 8. It was followed by a second-round knockout of unbeaten Travon Marshall last August 12 in Oxon Hill, Maryland.
A chance to win another version of the WBA title is doubled with the chance to avenge a past defeat.
“I’ve wanted to fight Stanionis for years and get revenge from our amateur match,” said Maestre. “It was a tough close fight and I’m ready to face him again for another war. We are ready for a great fight and to leave the ring with my hand raised. May 4 will be a historic day for me and Venezuela.”
Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs), No. 1 pound-for-pound, is the recognized Ring, WBC, WBA and WBO welterweight champion.
Figueroa (24-1-1, 18 KOs) is The Ring’s No. 4-rated featherweight contender. However, he has not fought since a twelve-round, unanimous decision victory over former WBC featherweight titlist Mark Magsayo (25-2, 17 KOs) last March 4.
The former WBC 122-pound titlist claimed an interim version of the WBC featherweight title after his win over Magsayo. The 27-year-old Weslaco, Texas native was believed to next face Mexico’s Rey Vargas (36-1-1, 22 KOs), No. 3 at 126, in a title consolidation bout. The fight never came into play, which left Figueroa with just one fight in 2023.
“I’ve been staying ready, just patiently waiting for my opportunity, and now I can’t wait to get back in the ring on May 4,” said Figueroa. “Magdaleno is a great fighter and he’s a former world champion for a reason. I know I have to be at my best. I’m just hungry to get back into the ring and keep boxing exciting with my fights and my fighting style.”
Magdaleno (29-2, 18 KOs) has not fought since a 12-round points loss to Raymond Ford last April 8 in San Antonio. The setback snapped a four-fight win streak for Magdaleno. That run followed an April 2018 defeat to Isaac Dogboe which ended his WBO 122-pound title reign.
Ford (15-0-1, 8 KOs), No. 6 at 126, went on to win the WBA featherweight title in a 12th round knockout of Otabek Kholmatov. Still, the consolation prize of a loss to a future titleholder is not enough for Magdaleno, who knows he has reached must-win status.
“This fight is everything for me,” said Magdaleno. “There are people who think I’m an underdog against Figueroa. But I’d remind those people of one thing…I was an underdog when I became world champion for the first time, and I’m ready to do it again. On May 4 you will hear ‘and the new!’”
Headlining the show, Guadalajara’s Alvarez (60-2-2, 39KOs) will face Tijuana’s Munguia (43-0, 34 KOs) for The Ring and undisputed super middleweight championship. Alvarez, No. 4 pound-for-pound, will defend his Ring 168-pound crown for the fifth time. It will also mark his seventh overall defense of at least two 168-pound titles.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for The Ring and vice president of the Boxing Writers Association of America.
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