Tijuana Press Conference Notes: Jaime Munguia Set for Raucous Homecoming Against Upset-Minded Bruno Surace
Coverage begins LIVE on ESPN+ Saturday at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT
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TIJUANA, Mexico (Dec. 12, 2024) — The road back to a world title for Jaime Munguia continues in a familiar setting.
The Mexican super middleweight star comes home this Saturday, Dec. 14, to face the unbeaten Bruno Surace in the 10-round main event at Estadio Caliente in Tijuana.
Munguia-Surace headlines a bill that will stream live and exclusively on ESPN+ in the U.S. at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. In the 10-round co-feature, WBC No. 1 junior featherweight contender Alan Picasso (30-0-1, 16 KOs) hopes to set the stage for a monster 2025 when he takes on Ghana's Isaac Sackey (26-2-2, 21 KOs).
Munguia (44-1, 35 KOs) looks to cap off a busy four-fight 2024 campaign that has included stoppage wins over John Ryder and Erik Bazinyan and a decision loss to Canelo Alvarez. He stopped Bazinyan in 10 rounds in September, four months after his valiant 12-round battle against Canelo. This marks Munguia's first fight in Tijuana since February 2022.
Surace (25-0-2, 4 KOs), from Marseille, France, has won 22 straight fights after a pair of early-career draws. He is fighting away from France for the first time and coming off the most significant victory of his career, last December's 12th-round TKO over the previously undefeated Jhon Jader Obregon.
This is what Munguia and Surace had to say at Thursday's press conference.
Jaime Munguia
“He is a strong fighter. He throws a lot of combinations. We have to be careful with that. I’ve studied him, and I’m confident of the work that we have done. I will walk away with my hand raised in victory.”
“If I knew in what round I could knock him out, I would bet all of my money on that. But I don’t know. It’s uncertain. I can tell you now with full certainty that I will be looking for the knockout.”
“It’s a big weight on my shoulders to fight in this stadium in front of all my people. It’s going to fill me with a lot of emotions. But I have to control that and do an intelligent fight. And I’m prepared to do that and give a great show to the people.”
“We have to focus on everything. Obviously, we focus on improving my boxing skills, but we also focus on the physical conditioning and the mental aspects."
Bruno Surace
“I have seen many of his fights since he was a junior middleweight. He’s an aggressive fighter who fights in the Mexican tradition. We are focused on every detail because the details matter in a big fight. We are ready for a war.”
“I’m very excited to be in his hometown. It’ll be more noise. The ambiance will be great. And the stress is on him.”
“I love this city. The atmosphere is fire. I like the people, and I’m excited to be here.”
“He’s an outstanding fighter. He’s aggressive and very offensive. In the first few rounds, I’ll have to get a lot of information and lay out a plan to fight him. But I’ve also seen many videos of him, and I know how I will need to box him.”
Saturday, December 14
LIVE on ESPN+ (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT)
Jaime Munguia vs. Bruno Surace, 10 Rounds, Super Middleweights
Alan Picasso vs. Isaac Sackey, 10 Rounds, Junior Featherweights
Jorge Garcia Perez vs. Kudratillo Abdukakhorov, 10 Rounds, Junior Middleweights
Sebastian Hernandez vs. Sergio Martin Sosa, 10 Rounds, Junior Featherweights
Christian Islas Roldan vs. Juan Anacona, 8 Rounds, Featherweights
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