Jaime Munguia vs Takeshi Inoue Preview Jan. 26th
Unbeaten WBO Junior Middleweight Champion Jaime Munguia of Mexico is back in the ring this Saturday, January 26th as when defends his title for the third time since July. He’ll be taking on Takeshi Inoue of Japan at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas with the 12-round bout being shown live in North America on DAZN. Munguia last fought in September when he stopped Brandon Cook in the third round. Inoue’s last outing was in April when he beat Yuki Nonaka by a 12-round unanimous decision.
**Watch live on DAZN this Saturday. Your first month is free.
Munguia vs Inoue Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Takeshi Inoue +1600
- Jaime Munguia -5000
My Pick
The 22-year-old Munguia definitely likes to stay active as this will be his sixth fight since last February. He enters the contest with a perfect mark of 31-0 along with 26 big Kos. He stepped up in class against Sadam Ali when he stopped him in five last May for the title and looked like a beast while stopping him convincingly. He then beat the experienced Liam Smith by unanimous decision in a highly-entertaining fight with plenty of back and forth action. The fight also highlighted Munguia’s defensive shortcomings, but that’s a part of what makes him so exciting.
Of course the other part of his fan-friendly style is the fact that he has some dynamite in his fists with a current knockout ratio of 84 per cent. He turned pro as a young teenager back in 2013 after going 128-10 in the amateurs and has 104 rounds of experience under his belt since then. Munguia was originally considered as a replacement for Canelo Alvarez to fight Gennady Golovkin last May, but the powers that be decided the weight and experience advantage for Golovkin was too much. However, that may not be the case now.
Munguia got the title shot against Ali when Liam Smith pulled out of the bout against Ali due to an injury. Munguia jumped at the chance and in hindsight it was a huge mistake on Ali’s part. Munguia entered the fight as a hungry boxer who wanted to make a name for himself on the world stage and he certainly did that with his impressive performance. Munguia is close to 6-feet-1-inch tall, but has an unlisted reach. He overpowered Ali and Cook with his size and strength and could be in for a long reign as champion.
The 29-year-old Inoue hails from Tokyo, and is also unbeaten with an impressive mark of 13-0-1 with 7 Kos. He turned pro in 2014 and has 89 rounds in the bank since then after going 39-16 as an amateur with 21 Kos. He stands just 5-feet-8-inches tall though so gives up four inches in height to the champion. But like Munguia, his reach is also unlisted. This will be Inoue’s first fight outside of Asia. The lone blemish on his record is a four-round draw which came in his pro debut against Daishi Nagata.
Although they share the same last name, Inoue isn’t related to Naoya Inoue and Takuma Inoue. Inoue has won several regional and domestic titles including the Japanese, OPBF and WBO Asia Pacific Championships with wins over the likes of Nonaka, Akinori Watanabe, Koshinmaru Saito and Ratchasi Sithsainthong. Inoue isn’t really a hard hitter with a current knockout ratio of 50 per cent and that won’t help his cause against Munguia. Inoue doesn’t mind brawling as he’s physically strong for a small man and he likes to get inside and eventually break the opposition down.
Prediction…
Rojas is a workmanlike boxers with decent power while Xu has to rely on his skills to get by. Rojas can be outboxed, but unless Xu can put some mustard on his punches he’s not going to be able to keep the champion at bay. Rojas may be frustrated early in this fight, but he should be able to land enough hard blows to retain his title.
Munguia’s too big and powerful for Inoue.
Play: Munguia -5000 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Jaime Munguia betting • Takeshi Inoue betting