Saúl Juárez: WBC Title Challenge and 2022 Result
Mexican minimumweight contender Saúl “Baby” Juárez challenged WBC champion Wanheng Menayothin in Chonburi, Thailand, on August 2, 2016. Menayothin retained the title by unanimous decision. In February 2022, Iván García defeated Juárez by unanimous decision in Mexico City. BoxingScene: Menayothin–Juárez · BoxingScene: García–Juárez.
World title challenges at two weights
Juárez’s 2016 opportunity came in the 105-pound minimumweight division. He completed all 12 rounds against Menayothin, also known as Chayaphon Moonsri, but the judges unanimously favored the defending champion. The result left Juárez a world title challenger rather than a WBC champion.
He later pursued the WBC light-flyweight championship at 108 pounds. On December 30, 2018, Kenshiro Teraji defeated him by unanimous decision in Tokyo. These contests placed Juárez in championship fights in two neighboring divisions, with both challenges ending on the scorecards.
What happened against Iván García?
The February 25, 2022, contest took place at the Auditorio Blackberry in Mexico City. García won the ten-round bout on scores of 96–94, 96–94 and 100–90. BoxingScene reported that Juárez pressed forward and found opportunities with uppercuts inside, while García answered with combinations to the head and body.
Juárez increased his output over the final three rounds, but could not overturn García’s advantage. The two close cards reflect a competitive contest for those judges, while the third judge awarded every round to García. This dated result should be read separately from Juárez’s earlier world championship challenges.
Further career results
The García result left Juárez with twenty-five wins, sixteen defeats and two draws at that point. His later-career schedule had also included Jesse Rodríguez, who stopped him in December 2020, and Cristian González, who won a decision in June 2021. Axel Aragón Vega had beaten him on points in August 2020. Those contests preceded the Mexico City appearance and document the difficult run of opposition following his two world-title challenges.
The main event was televised by EstrellaTV in the United States.
Sources
- BoxingScene: Menayothin defends WBC title against Juárez
- World Boxing Council: August 2 title history
- BoxingScene: García defeats Juárez
