Munguia survives a scare from Nikita Zon to keep his WBA title

Jaime Munguia is still WBA super middleweight champion, but Nikita Zon made him work for it.

The judges scored it 117-111, 117-111 and 116-112 for Munguia in his first title defence, on the Canelo vs Mbilli card in Riyadh.

THE SCARE

Zon was a big underdog, but he did not fight like one. His right uppercuts pushed Munguia back in the third round, and in the sixth a left uppercut sent Munguia into the ropes. Munguia went down to a knee during the exchange, but the referee ruled it a slip, not a knockdown.

Munguia had his own big moment in the fifth, when a heavy right hand badly shook Zon. Over the last four rounds his jab and body work took over, and he finished strong.

WHAT'S NEXT

Munguia is now 47-2. The WBA allowed this fight as a voluntary defence, and says he must face his mandatory challenger, Bektemir Melikuziev, next. Zon falls to 12-1-1.