Jaime Munguia faced undefeated Erik Bazinyan on Friday and knocked him out in the tenth round of their fight at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.

The former WBO junior middleweight world titleholder applied relentless pressure throughout the fight until his left hook along the ropes allowed the Canadian-based Armenian to be counted out at 2:36.

The victory came in Munguia’s (44-1, 35 knockouts) first fight under up-to-date promoter Top Rank and allowed him to rebound from the first loss of his career, a unanimous decision loss to Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in May.

But for the 27-year-old Munguia, the fight was no ordinary, idle exercise.

“It was a fight I had to fight intelligently. He’s powerful. He hits challenging. So we had to break him down and watch out for body shots. And in the 10th round, I decided to go all out. And that’s how we got the knockout,” said Munguia, who is ranked No. 2 by The Ring at 168 pounds.

SHOW. STOP.

JAIME MUNGUIA IS BACK 🇲🇽 photo:twitter.com/uKWfIFtbvY

— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) September 21, 2024

Munguia began to pull away at the time of the stoppage, with the judges having him ahead 88-83, 87-84 and 86-85 at the time of the fight’s conclusion. Bazinyan fared best on David Sutherland’s undercard, winning four of the first five rounds, then losing four straight before the knockout.

“I felt like I was winning. I felt like he was very frustrated with my jab, right hook and counterattacks. He was tired. Suddenly I was caught. I don’t know what happened there,” Bazinyan said.

Bazinyan, 29, started the first round with determination, effectively keeping Munguia at bay with jabs and overhand rights. Bazinyan, who respected Quebec trainer Marc Ramsay in his corner, kept control of the distance in the first two rounds as Munguia tried to set the pace in the third. Bazinyan regained control of the boxing in the fourth round when he began doubling and tripling his jabs, catching Munguia whenever he held his head still for too long, breaking his rhythm.

Munguia finally got his bearings in the sixth round, when he began to roll under Bazinyan’s jabs and move in with left hooks around the guard. Bazinyan, admitting he was outmatched when they were close, tried to keep his guard tight rather than trade blows. The body shots were starting to ponderous Bazinyan, who was fighting in the first 12-round of his 11-year pro career.

Bazinyan was hurt for the first time in the seventh round by a right hook that connected as he attempted his right hook, landing flat, followed by a left hook that sent him into the ropes. Bazinyan showed incredible recovery skills as he regained his balance and began looking for opportunities to counter, particularly with a right jab.

As Bazinyan’s blow began to weaken, Munguia’s pressure began to break him.

Munguia used the roll that had previously opened up his opponent to greater effect in the tenth round, hurting Bazinyan with a hook while he was standing upright. Referee Thomas Taylor advised Bazinyan to start fighting, which he did, but his willingness to return fire opened him up to the left hook that led to the final sequence of the fight.

Munguia expressed interest in fighting other top 168-pound fighters in the future, including RING No. 1 contender Christian Mbilli (28-0, 23 KOs), a Montreal-based contender who is co-promoted by Top Rank and Eye of the Tiger Management. Munguia also mentioned Edgar Berlanga and Caleb Plant.

“There are great fights and we will also have great wars.”

By: Sean Crose

As almost every fight fan knows, two-time multi-title heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua will be fighting Daniel Dubois this weekend for Dubois’ IBF heavyweight title at Wembley Stadium in London. A hugely critical clash of two substantial, powerful men, Joshua-Dubois is a huge deal in the UK and a hugely engaging one for those of us living overseas. Joshua has finally rebounded from a world-class career slump thanks to a recent trainer (Ben Davison) and some energetic performances. Dubois, on the other hand, arguably dropped Oleksandr Usyk with one punch when they fought a while back (the punch was deemed a low blow, allowing Usyk to win the fight). What’s more, Dubois has won two in a row in the same time frame.

So… who will win this 12-round fight? Joshua is the bigger favorite with the better resume, but Dubois holds the IBF title and nearly beat Usyk, a fighter who has beaten Joshua twice. Dubois has good jabs, solid footwork, and of course the power to knock down a wall. No one can erase the record in which all but two of the man’s many victories have come inside the distance.

Joshua has the advantage of height, though. As good as Dubois’ jab is, Joshua’s jab is probably better. What’s more, Davison has clearly shown Joshua how to avoid the massive punches that have hurt him throughout his career. Now, the man fights with a patience and confidence he’s lacked for some time. To win, Dubois will have to get inside… and get inside without being punished by Joshua, who can knock him out with one punch and who has some vicious body shots of his own.

Perhaps the most critical thing to consider is that Dubois hasn’t fought at this level. Sure, he’s had some substantial fights, but he’s never been on the other side of a London ring with Joshua on the other side. In other words, Joshua can fill them. Considering that close to 100,000 people are expected to show up this Saturday to watch the Joshua-Dubois fight live, it’s worth noting that Joshua will be here early. Dubois won’t. Things like that make a difference.

None of this is to say that Dubois can’t pull off a surprise. The talented and confident champion certainly can. I don’t think he’ll pull it off, though, which is why I’m predicting Joshua will win by knockout in the 11th round.

Tuckman Media will release The Featherweight, the directorial debut of Emmy Award winner Robert Kolodny (cinematographer on Procession and All the Beauty and the Bloodshed), telling the true story of legendary two-time world featherweight boxing champion Willie Pep.

The impressive cast is led by James Madio (Penguin, Band of Brothers), who gives a career-best performance as Pep, along with Ruby Wolf in her feature film debut, Keir Gilchrist (Love & Death, Atypical), Stephen Lang (Avatar franchise), Ron Livingston (The Flash, Loudermilk), Lawrence Gilliard Jr. (The Walking Dead, One Night in Miami), undefeated professional featherweight boxer Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington and Hartford native Imma Aiello in her own big-screen debut as Mama Papaleo, Willie Pep’s mother.

The film hits theaters in Pep’s home state of Connecticut on September 20. It had its world premiere last year at the 80th Venice International Film Festival, where the film received a six-minute standing ovation, and currently has a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Set in the mid-1960s in Hartford, Connecticut, The Featherweight is a gripping chapter in the true story of Italian-American boxer Willie Pep (James Madio)—the most decorated boxer of all time—who, in his mid-40s and with his personal life in disarray, decides to return to the ring, at which point a film crew steps in. Meticulously researched and constructed, the film is a compelling portrait of the discontent with masculinity, fame, and self-esteem in 20th-century America.

Many of the film’s executive producers are from Connecticut, including Dan Adams, Greg Butler, Donna Collins, Mark Contreras, Manon Cox, Angelo DeFazio, Robert Feiner, Karl Krapek, Alan Lazowski, Robert Patricelli and John Wolfson. Hartford producer Joe Youthful was an associate producer. The film was fully supported by George Norfleet and Mark Dixon of the State Film Office and state representative James Sanchez. The production was supported and endorsed by former Mayor Luke Bronin and Governor Ned Lamont.

The film was shot at local institutions such as Pratalona Social Club, The Hartford Club, The Polish National Home, The West Indian Social Club, Carbone’s, Hartford PAL Gym on Broad Street, Four Ropes Boxing, and Bushnell Park, to name a few.

Real Art Ways will host a preview screening of the film on September 18. Also on September 18, Charter Oak Boxing Academy (COBA) — where James Madio trained for the role of Pep and where much of the fight choreography was rehearsed — will host a press conference with select cast and producers at 5:30 p.m. in front of the Willie Pep mural on Pope Park Highway. Producers and cast will also visit various filming locations throughout the day to promote the film’s September 20 premiere.

After premiering at the Venice Film Festival, The Featherweight toured internationally, including the Provincetown International Film Festival, where Kolodny received the John Schlesinger Award for Best Director of a Feature Film. The film was praised for its technical aspects, re-creating the 1960s in rich detail and interspersing staged and archival boxing footage, telling the story through the prism of a documentary crew following Pep as he comes out of retirement and returns to the ring. Madio prepared for the role by training with John “The Iceman” Scully, who had known Pep for over 30 years and had been trained by one of Pep’s training partners, Joe Barile. Scully put Madio through months of training so he could capture Pep’s techniques and moves.

“It’s thrilling to bring The Featherweight to audiences, a film that our outstanding cast and exceptional crew have so diligently poured their hearts into. Willie Pep’s story is an all-American tale, full of great highs and terrible lows. He is not only a world-class boxer on the brink of collapse, but also the quintessential mid-century man, with all his flaws and cracks exposed for the camera,” said Kolodny.

Executive producer Donna Collins of Rocky Hill stated, “Bringing The Featherweight to our beloved Hartford is a case study in how filming can create community pride, honor the legacy of a hometown hero and provide local economic impact. This is more than just a film production, it’s a community collaboration.”

“Producers have been trying to bring Willie Pep’s story to the substantial screen for decades, and we are thrilled and honored to finally do it. Pep has the most wins in boxing history, and most have never heard of him. We hope The Featherweight will change that while cementing his legacy as one of the greatest to ever have it,” added writer/producer Steve Loff.

Loff (Desert Rain) wrote and produced alongside Madio, Bennett Elliot, Robert Greene (who also edited the film), Asger Hussain and Abhayanand Singh. Two-time Oscar nominee Steve James, Jennifer Davisson, Michael Hampton, Brian Liebman and Mark Hantoot also serve as executive producers.