Bruno Surace and Jaime Munguia are finalizing a deal for a May 3 rematch in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, sources told ESPN on Tuesday.
The 168-pound fight will take place on the Canelo Alvarez-William Scull undisputed super middleweight championship undercard.
Surace (26-0-2, 5 KOs) scored a stunning sixth-round KO of Munguia in December in ESPN’s Upset of the Year. That bout was a homecoming for Munguia in Tijuana, Mexico. He’ll look for revenge halfway around the world.
Munguia (44-2, 35 KOs) dropped a unanimous decision to Alvarez in May in his first career defeat. Now, they’re training together with Eddy Reynoso.
The former junior middleweight champion was a -2500 favorite when he faced Surace in December. Later that month, Munguia exercised the rematch clause, but there was no financial figure attached, sources said, allowing Surace to pursue other bouts.
Surace, 26, was floored in Round 2 but rallied to drop Munguia for the count of 10 in Round 6 with a single overhand right. Surace was handpicked to deliver an easy, stay-busy win for Munguia before seeking another high-profile fight in 2025.
The victory was just Surace’s ninth over an opponent with a winning record. The Frenchman, who was fighting outside his country for the first time, crashed ESPN’s 168-pound rankings at No. 9. Munguia, 28, dropped seven spots to No. 10.
Munguia rebounded from the Canelo defeat with a 10th-round KO of contender Erik Bazinyan in September. Now, Munguia has lost two of his last three fights. He scored his best win in 2023, a decision over former champion Sergiy Derevyanchenko that was named ESPN’s Fight of the Year.
Source: espn.com