Jaime Munguia thought for sure that he would be a couple of weeks removed from his most significant win in several years by this point.

There was a time when the former WBO junior middleweight titlist was on course for a terrific crossroads showdown with super middleweight contender John Ryder. It was believed that both sides agreed to terms and even a fight date—October 29 in San Diego—only for the unbeaten Tijuana native to receive bitter news to the contrary that he would have to search elsewhere for his next opportunity.

The greater concern that no fight at all would come from the rest of his stalled 2022 campaign.

“I was obviously disappointed to find out that fight fell through,” Munguia admitted to BoxingScene.com. “It sounded like we had a fight lined up with (Ryder) for the end of October. I was already in training camp. Then we were told the fight was no longer happening and I wasn’t going to fight at all on that date.

“When the fight with John Ryder fell through, I thought that was going to be it for the year.”

The October 29 date instead saw unbeaten lightweight contender William Zepeda soar to new heights following a dominant points win over former IBF junior lightweight titlist Joseph ‘JoJo’ Diaz.

Meanwhile, Munguia (40-0, 32KOs) settles for a consolation prize in the form of a third fight this year. The 26-year-old middleweight contender faces Argentina’s Gonzalo Gaston Coria (21-5, 8KOs) atop a DAZN show airing live from Guadalajara, Mexico (Saturday, 7:00 p.m. ET).

The fight has been ridiculed as a blatant mismatch from the moment it was first learned in late October. Aside from viewing the matchup as an easy win for Munguia, it marks the second straight time he faces a significantly lesser opponent than originally planned.

Hopes of a showdown with WBC middleweight titlist Jermall Charlo (32-0, 22KOd) suffered an improbable, eleventh-hour collapse. A dispute over network involvement ultimately killed what appeared to be a done deal for a June 18 Showtime headliner in Houston, Texas. Munguia instead faced—and tore through—Jimmy Kilrain Kelly atop a June 11 DAZN show from the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.

If there is a silver lining, it’s that Munguia was able to make his way to the ring in June and now again this weekend. Charlo was due to face Poland’s Maciej Sulecki on June 18 but reportedly suffered a back injury which caused the event to be canceled. The unbeaten two-division titlist has yet to return to the ring, seventeen months inactive and with no upcoming fight in sight.

Munguia’s silver lining comes in that his career wasn’t held up had he gone through with that fight. He continues to enjoy his role as one of the most active fighters among notable contenders and titlists, with Saturday marking his fourth fight in just over a year.

“I’m extremely grateful to be fighting again in Mexico. It’s not the year I expected but I am fighting for the third time in 2022. I’m gaining more experience with each fight and staying active helps me continue to grow as a fighter. I was training for a big fight but unfortunately, it didn’t line up for me.

“I really hope that 2023 brings a fight but I am grateful to once again embrace and fight in front of all my people.”

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox