LAS VEGAS — There is no doubt about how Jaime Munguia feels about his opponent in Saturday night’s super middleweight world title bout at T-Mobile Arena.

“Canelo Alvarez has always been a source of pride and motivation for me,” Munguia said. “I used to say when I was coming up in the sport that I wanted to be just like him.”

Now, Munguia has to try to beat him.

Alvarez (60-2-2, 39 knockouts) will put the undisputed title on the line against his fellow Mexican in the main event of the pay-per-view card.

While the 27-year-old Munguia (43-0, 34 KOs) is only six years younger than Alvarez, the champion has been at the top of the game for a long time, while Munguia has been working his way up the ladder, fighting for relevance.

The Tijuana native isn’t about to waste the biggest opportunity of his career by getting caught up thinking about the global spotlight on this fight or the iconic stature of his opponent.

“Outside the ring, Canelo has all my respect,” Munguia said. “But inside the ring, that respect goes out the window.”

Munguia has been working toward an opportunity like this since he went to the boxing gym with his dad, a former pro heavyweight, at a young age.

He had a decorated amateur career and eschewed a potential Olympic path to make his pro debut in 2013 at age 16. He fought 25 times in Mexico over the next four years, slowly drawing better opponents along the way.

‘Very confident’

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