Jaime Munguía’s scheduled fight against Nikita Zon will go ahead on Saturday 31 October at Kingdom Arena in Riad after Zanfer said it reached an agreement with the WBA, easing uncertainty over whether the bout would count as a title defense.
The decision matters because Munguía is set to enter the ring as the WBA super middleweight champion at 168 libras, and a defense without proper authorization could have put the belt’s status at risk. The card is part of México contra el mundo and is headed by the bout between Canelo Álvarez and Christian Mbilli, but Munguía’s own fight became the one under scrutiny.
Guillermo Brito said the arrangement was acceptable to both sides, adding that the opponent the WBA had wanted was the one authorized for the night. He also made clear that the mandatory defense still has to happen when the time comes, with Bektemir Melikuziev remaining the next obligation on the calendar. That is the balance behind the deal: one fight was allowed through, but it does not erase the sanctioning body’s earlier order.
The friction is that the WBA had not initially approved Zon as a title opponent, even though the bout was on the schedule and Munguía was already in Saudi territory before the issue was settled. Zon arrives unbeaten, with 12 wins, 0 losses and 1 draw, including 10 by knockout, and he fights from a southpaw stance, which gives the matchup a sharper edge than a routine defense.
For now, Brito’s message points to the same conclusion: the fight can proceed, and Munguía’s belt can be put on the line in Riad. The unanswered part is not whether he will fight Zon, but whether the WBA will issue a formal written approval that leaves no doubt about the championship status of the bout.
