Jaime Munguia has his work cut out for him at middleweight, but it’s clear that his power has followed him up the scale.
An entertaining slugfest with Tureano Johnson ended with Munguia claiming his third straight stoppage win. A right uppercut by the former junior middleweight titlist busted open the upper lip of Johnson to force the end after six completed rounds of action Friday evening at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California.
Johnson entered the fight on the heels of a 15-month layoff, having not fought since a 9th round knockout of then-unbeaten Jason Quigley last July. There wasn’t any evidence of ring rust, as the 2008 Bahamian Olympian came charging out the gate, smothering Munguia and landing chopping shots on the inside.
Munguia composed himself and found his range towards the end of the frame, connecting with a left hook upstairs. The hope was to carry the momentum over into round two, but Johnson went back to crowding his unbeaten foe. Munguia adapted, sliding back just enough to catch Johnson with right uppercuts every time his foe rushed him.
The furiously-paced battle didn’t let up in round three. Johnson switched between southpaw and orthodox, landing chopping right hands from both stances. Munguia took the shots well, slipping one exchange and spinning out to the middle of the ring where he controlled the real estate. The right uppercut continued to land with regularity, with Munguia’s power clearly taking its toll on a 36-year old Johnson who was showing signs of fatigue.
Munguia used more of the ring in round four, making a conscious effort to play defense, Johnson took advantage of the dramatic decrease inMunguia’s offense, charging forward and landing right hands which caught the attention of the former junior middleweight titlist. Johnson picked up the pace in round five, constantly moving forward and landing power shots upstairs.
Munguia struggled with his opponent’s sudden surge, offering more movement and ending the frame with his mouth agape. The 24-year old took a deep breath and came out swinging to start round six.
Johnson was game for the cause, continuing to land right hands upstairs. Time was called with 0:21 in the round, as the ringside physician examined a grotesquely deep cut on Johnson lip caused by a vicious right uppercut by Munguia. He was permitted to finish the frame, with the fight stopped prior to the start of round seven.
Referee Raul Caiz Sr. ruled that the cut was caused by a punch, thus leaving Johnson dejected and Munguia able to breathe a sigh of relief.
The official time was 3:00 of round six.
Munguia improves to 36-0 (29KOs), claiming his second win at middleweight. The unbeaten former titlist landed 158-of-416 punches (38%) through six rounds, compared to 111-of-445 (25%) for Johnson, who falls to 21-3-1 (15KOs).
