Munguia on win over Derevyanchenko: ‘We made some mistakes, but we’re still here undefeated’

Many in boxing circles were waiting for Jaime Munguia to be tested, and on Saturday night at the Toyota Center in Ontario, CA, against former world title challenger Sergiy Derevyanchenko, Munguia passed the test.

In a “Fight of the Year” candidate, Munguia(42-0, 33 KOs), who was badly hurt by Derevyanchecko in Round 5, but overcame it, dropped Derevyanchecko (14-5, 10 KOs) in the 12th round and won by unanimous decision.

The three judges had it 115-112, 114-113, and 114-113, all for Munguia.

Photos: Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy Promotions

The Mexican native trailed by one point on two scorecards going into the final round, and the knockdown in the final round was the difference. 

In that 12th round, Munguia cornered Derevyanchenko with a flurry of power shots that visibly left the fighter shaken. Munguia delivered a hard left hook to the body, sending Derevyanchenko to the canvas. Munguia actively pursued and tried to finish Derevyanchenko off, but he was able to survive.

“I am very happy with the fight,” Munguia said. “It was a great victory; we made some mistakes, but we’re still here undefeated,” Munguia said after the win. “I am very happy with the decision, and in reality, it took me a lot of effort to achieve it. It was difficult, but we were able to catch and hurt him in the 10th round, and then we dropped him in the 12th round. I think, ultimately, we achieved the victory thanks to my training. We trained really hard in the gym; obviously, it’s not the same in the gym as in the ring, but we are always working hard, always trying to improve.” 

Give Munguia a lot of credit. He was down on the scorecards and found a way to get the job. Derevyanchenko is always a tough fight for anybody, but Munguia did just enough to win.

Mosley Jr. shines:

In the night’s co-main event, Shane Mosley, Jr. (20-4, 10 KOs) secured the NABO Middleweight Belt with a seventh-round knockout victory over Temple Hills, Massachusetts, D’Mitrius “Big Meech” Ballard (21-2-1, 13 KOs). Originally scheduled for 10-rounds, Mosley, Jr. controlled the pace of the fight, managing Ballard’s awkward style until the referee called the fight at 1:42 of the seventh round.

“The plan was to take control of the fight from the first round, I was a control freak in there,” said Shane Mosley Jr.  “Control the pace even when he was walking me back it was because I wanted him to walk me back. I put him where I wanted him to be. And you saw when I turned it up, it was too much for him. So I did what I needed to do, we got the knockout. This guy is 21-1 the only person to beat him was the main event, Jaime Munguía. This means I’m on the road to getting that strap, that belt, it’s strap season. I’m going to be the WBA world champion.”

Flores gets the upset win:

Pulling off the upset of the night, Mexico City’s Mayeli Flores (10-1-1, 3 KOs) defeated her compatriot boxing veteran and former two-division world champion Mariana “Barby” Juarez (55-13-4, 19 KOs) in an eight-round super bantamweight fight that went the distance. Flores quickly won the crowd with her aggression and relentless pressure that was accompanied with an abundance of punches. The judges scored the fight 73-79, 73-79, and 72-80.

“I had two objectives in fighting Mariana, the first was to win, the second was to show the American public that female boxing can be as exciting or more than male boxing,” said Mayeli Flores. “I had a plan going into this fight, I was well prepared, and I wanted to make sure that I applied pressure and set the pace from the beginning. That is what I did from the beginning of the fight until the end, and I feel that is was what gave us the victory today.”

In other action:

Opening the DAZN broadcast, Rialto’s Ricardo “El Niño” Sandoval (22-2, 16 KOs) participated in a 10-round flyweight fight that went the distance against Rocco “So Cal Kid” Santomauro (22-2, 6 KOs) of Los Angeles. Sandoval and Santomauro went back and forth throughout the bout, Sandoval making the winning adjustments to Santomauro’s pressure. The judges awarded the unanimous decision win to Sandoval with scores of 98-92, 96-94, and 96-94.

On the preliminary card, fan-favorite from San Diego, Jorge “El Niño Dorado” Chavez (7-0, 5 KOs) maintained his undefeated streak in a six-round featherweight match that went the distance against Christian “El Niño” Lorenzo (3-5, 1 KO) of Los Angeles. Chavez established his dominance early on, cornering Lorenzo with power punches and flurries throughout the bout. The fight went the distance with judges awarding Chavez the unanimous decision victory with all three judges scoring the bout 60-54.

Opening Munguia vs. Derevyanchenko fight night, Anthony Saldivar (4-0, 2 KOs) of Ontario, California dazzled his hometown crowd with a second-round KO of Jerome Clayton (2-2-1, 2 KOs) of Metairie, Louisiana. The fight was originally scheduled for four middleweight rounds. Saldivar was in the driver’s seat the entire fight, sending Clayton to the mat three times throughout the bout. The referee waved the fight off after the third knock down at 2:01.