Jaime Munguía vs. Liam Smith was a professional boxing match contested on July 21, 2018, for the WBO light middleweight title.
Background Former WBO light middleweight champion Liam Smith had become the WBO's mandatory challenger to their light middleweight champion after defeating Liam Williams in a title eliminator in November 2017.Liam Williams Loses Close Rematch with Liam Smith, Boxingwales.com article, 2017-11–14, Retrieved on 2025-08-25 One month later, Sadam Ali upset the retiring Miguel Cotto to capture the WBO light middleweight title, and three months later in March 2018, it was announced that Ali and Smith would face each other that May at the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York.Sadam Ali defeats retiring Miguel Cotto via unanimous decision, ESPN article, 2017-12–03, Retrieved on 2025-08-20Sadam Ali to make title defense against Liam Smith, ESPN article, 2018-03–09, Retrieved on 2025-08-22 Just weeks before the Ali–Smith fight was to take place, Smith was forced to withdraw from the bout after developing an undisclosed skin condition as a result of an allergic reaction.Liam Smith withdraws from fight against Sadam Ali, ESPN article, 2018-04–27, Retrieved on 2025-08-22 Undefeated 21-year old prospect Jaime Munguía then took Smith's place on short notice and dominated Ali en route to winning the WBO light middleweight title via fourth-round technical knockout.Jaime Munguia replaces Liam Smith as challenger to titlist Sadam Ali, ESPN article, 2018-04–29, Retrieved on 2025-08-22Jaime Munguia Drops Sadam Ali Four Times For TKO in Four, Boxingscene.com article, 2018-05–12, Retrieved on 2025-08-24
With Smith retaining his spot at the WBO's number-one contender and having recovered from his ailment, negotiations began between Smith's promoter Frank Warren and Munguía's promoters Golden Boy Promotions soon after Munguía's title victory.Jaime Munguia vs. Liam Smith Talks Continue To Play Out, Boxingscene.com article, 2018-05–21, Retrieved on 2025-08-25 One month later, the Munguía–Smith fight was finalized for July 21, 2018, at Nevada's The Joint within the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.Munguia-Smith, Machado-Mensah Finalized For July 21, HBO, Boxingscene.com article, 2018-06–22, Retrieved on 2025-08-25
Munguía was ranked as the 5th best Light middleweight by TBRB, with Smith ranked 10th.
Fight Details While Liam Smith fought well during the early rounds, Munguía adapted and controlled the fight from the fourth round on as he cruised to relatively lopsided unanimous decision, winning comfortably on all three of the judge's scorecards with scores of 119–108, 117–110 and 116–111.
Munguía scored the fight's lone knockdown after landing flush with a left hook to the side of Smith's head, who then stumbled to his knees. Munguía had the edge in overall punches, landing 277 out of 837 thrown punches compared to Smith's 198 of 702. Munguía also had a distinct edge in power punches, landing 239 to Smith's 158.
Aftermath Though Munguía admitted that he was hoping for a knockout victory, he nevertheless expressed satisfaction in going the full 12-round distance for the first time stating "Nothing is wrong with this. I am a little green, no doubt. But Smith has a lot of experience, and I had a tough opponent. But this is experience that will help me for the next rival."Jaime Munguia tops Liam Smith via unanimous decision in title defense, ESPN article, 2018-07–22, Retrieved on 2025-08-26
Fight card Confirmed bouts: Weight Class Weight vs. Method Round Time NotesLight Middleweight 154 lb Jaime Munguía (c) def. Liam SmithUD12 Super Featherweight 130 lb Alberto Machado (c) def. Rafael MensahUD12 Preliminary cardMiddleweight 160 lb Yamaguchi Falcão def. Elias EspadasUD10 Super Bantamweight 122 lb Carlos Caraballo def. Jesus MartinezRTD5/83:00 Welterweight 147 lb Blair Cobbs def. Emmanuel ValadezTKO2/61:52
Broadcasting Country Broadcaster Latin America Space Cable Onda Sports BT Sport HBO
References