Jaime Munguia vs D’Mitrius Ballard Preview Feb, 19th, 2022
The WBO Inter-Continental Middleweight Title will be on the line this Saturday, February 19th when unbeaten former WBO Junior Middleweight Champion Jaime Munguia of Mexico takes on undefeated D’Mitrius Ballard of Temple Hills, Maryland. The 12-round battle from Tijuana, Mexico can be seen live in most nations on DAZN. Munguia last boxed in November when he beat Gabriel Rosado via a 12-round unanimous decision. Ballard beat Paul Valenzuela by 12-round unanimous decision in his last outing, which was also in November.
**Watch live on DAZN this Saturday. Your first month is free.
Munguia vs Ballard Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- D’Mitrius Ballard +850
- Jaime Munguia -1600
My Pick
The 25-year-old Munguia of Tijuana definitely likes to stay active as this will be his 39th fight since turning pro in July, 2013 when he was a teenager. He enters the contest with a perfect mark of 38-0 with 30 Kos. He first stepped up in class against Sadam Ali when he stopped him in five rounds in May, 2018 for the WBO Jr. Middleweight Title and defended that crown against Liam Smith, Brandon Cook, Takeshi Inoue, Dennis Hogan and Patrick Allotey before moving up to middleweight.
Since then he stopped Gary O’Sullivan in the 11th round in 2019 and then halted Tureano Johnson after six to win the vacant WBO Inter Continental Middleweight Title. He stopped Kamil Szeremeta after six rounds before beating Rosado. Most of those fights highlighted Munguia’s defensive shortcomings but that’s a part of what makes him so exciting. The other part of his fan-friendly style is the fact he has dynamite in his fists with a current knockout ratio of 79 per cent.
He reportedly went 128-10 in the amateurs and now has 167 rounds of pro experience under his belt. Munguia entered the title fight against Sadam Ali in 2018 as a hungry boxer who wanted to make a name for himself on the world stage and he certainly did that. However, he struggled against Dennis Hogan and Takeshi Inoue as he went the distance with both of them and took quite a few shots. He also had trouble making the 154 lb weight limit and this is his fifth outing in the 160 lb middleweight division. Munguia stands 6-feet tall with a reported 70.5-inch reach.
The 28-year-old Ballard carries a record of 21-0-1 with 13 Kos. He’s also 6-feet tall and has a 74-inch reach, which gives him a 3.5-inch advantage on Munguia. Rosado has plenty of experience as he turned pro in 2006 and has 104 rounds under his belt. Ballard turned pro back in 2013 and has boxed 104 rounds as a pro following a fine amateur career. He began boxing as an 11-year-old and lost in the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials to Jesse Hart.
Ballard was the 2012 National Golden Gloves Champion at 165 lbs, placed fourth at the 2010 USA Senior Nationals, won bronze at the 2010 National Golden Gloves, took silver at the 2009 National Junior Olympics and won the 2009 National Silver Gloves. He’s also a five-time Ringside World Champion and a four-time National PAL Champion. Since turning pro Ballard has captured the WBC United States (USNBC) Super Middleweight Title.
The lone draw on Ballard’s record is a 10-round majority affair with Yamaguchi Falcao in 2019 for the vacant NABF Middleweight Crown. He has decent power with a current 54.2 per cent knockout ratio but has stopped just one of his last seven opponents. His biggest wins have been against the likes of Zoltan Sera, Ricardo Luna, Alan Campa, Victor Calderas and Jaime Solorio. He also fought to a three-round no-decision with Elias Espadas in 2019 after Espadas was cut by an accidental head butt.
Prediction…
Ballard has plenty of pro and amateur experience and possesses fine boxing skills but is stepping up in class. He’s arguably a better boxer than Munguia with a better defence. However, he likely doesn’t have the power to keep Munguia off of him for 12 rounds. I believe Munguia’s style is better suited for the pro game than Ballard’s and considering he’s also fighting at home, I’m expecting Munguia to hand Ballard his first pro loss.
Munguia’s aggression and power should be the difference.
Play: Munguia -1600 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
D'Mitrius Ballard betting • Jaime Munguia betting