WBO junior middleweight champion Jaime Munguia (29-0, 25 KOs) says he’s ready to make the first defense of his belt on Saturday night on HBO against ex-champion Liam Smith (26-1-1, 14 KOs) in Las Vegas.
[On training camp] “I am very satisfied with the great training camp I had with my team, even better than last time where I won the championship (against Sadam Ali) because this belt is something I won’t let go of, and nobody is going to take it. It’s my dream come true and I’m just starting to enjoy it.
“I didn’t rest after the fight with Ali. I did a media tour for nearly two weeks when I won and then from there I returned directly to California to train. I think I’ll benefit because I never lost my form.
[On Liam Smith] “It’s not an easy opponent that I have in front of me. He’s very experienced, has fought some big names and is the mandatory challenger. I still think I have more quality and more power than him and I’m confident I’ll beat him because of my great preparation…this time I feel more explosive and strong. I have no weight problems. I’ll face a challenger who is going to trade and I’d like that the fight end by knockout.”
[On being a world champion] “When I fought in Las Vegas last December (against Paul Valenzuela Jr.), the truth is that it was not going through my head that I’d be headlining in a fight there so fast, let alone being the world champion…I want to thank my company Zanfer and my promoter Fernando Beltran, Box Azteca, and all the people who always support me and push me to move on. I want to dedicate this fight to all of them because without them I wouldn’t be where I am now.”