Boxer Munguia takes his time before knocking out Bazinyan in 10th Round

DAN RAFAEL

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Super middleweight contender Jaime Munguia got a stern test from Erik Bazinyan before knocking him out with an onslaught of punches in the 10th round on Friday night at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.

The fight, which headlined a Top Rank Boxing on ESPN card, was Munguia’s first bout with the company after splitting with Golden Boy and his first since suffering his first loss when he dropped a lopsided but action-packed unanimous decision challenging Mexican countryman Canelo Alvarez for the undisputed 168-pound title on May 4.

Munguia, who was the overwhelming favorite among the largely Mexican crowd of 6,320, was troubled quite a bit by the taller and longer Bazinyan’s jab and counter punching, especially in the first half of the fight.

Bazinyan landed some sharp right hands but ultimately it was the precision and power of Munguia, a former WBO junior middleweight titleholder. That was the difference.