By Jack Tiernan: Jermell Charlo says David Benavidez “will never get respect” until he fights in his actual weight class at cruiserweight or heavyweight rather than campaigning at 168.
Jermell says the former two-time WBC super-middleweight champion Benavidez (25-0, 22 KOs) is fighting out of his weight class by choosing to stay in the 168-lb division.
According to Jermell, Benavidez stays at 168 to fight guys smaller than himself, when he really should fill out and fight at cruiserweight or heavyweight.
It’s unclear why Jermell is recommending that Benavidez move up in weight, but you can argue that he might be looking to steer him out of the way so that his twin brother, Jermall, can safely move up to 168 without having to deal with the pressure from boxing fans to have to face him.
Canelo Alvarez recently said that he’d like Benavidez and Jermall (32-0, 22 KOs) to fight, and he’ll take on the winner. While Benavidez is on board with Canelo’s idea, unfortunately, Jermall hasn’t shown interest in wanting to follow the Mexican star’s advice.
Instead of facing Benavidez, Charlo, 31, will be defending his WBC middleweight title against Maciej Sulecki on June 18th on Showtime in Houston, Texas.
Not surprisingly, the boxing public are enthusiastic about Jermall’s choice of opponent, seeing this as yet another example of the Charlo twin milking his WBC 160-lb title against soft opposition. Sulecki was beaten by Demetrius Andrade and Daniel Jacobs in the recent past.
Jermell: Benavidez should be at cruiserweight or heavyweight
“Benavidez cannot see my brother [Jermall,” said Jermell Charlo to The Last Stand Podcast with Brian Custer. “I’m the truth and my brother [Jermall] is the truth.
“I think that’s a great fight right now, Benavidez and Caleb Plant for my brother. It can bring back that Charlo hate that they’ve been giving us.
“I like Benavidez’s style, I like his heart, and I like how he’s relentless on his punching.
“Personally, I think Benavidez would be better at heavyweight. He’s a big old mother f***. He fights out of his weight division. He’s just beating on little mother f***.
“Let’s keep it for real. Benavidez is not really a 168-pounder,” said Jermell. “He can fight any of the 189, cruiserweight or even heavier. That’s his real weight, and then he’ll get a better challenge.
“160 or 160-pounder coming up to 168 to fight Benavidez, to me, personally, is like, you’re still picking on a smaller guy. He will never get the respect until he fights someone at the top top over there in his actual weight. Fill out. I say, fill out and become your guy and be the big guy.
“You don’t have to wrap it up, guy. I’m here for you. I’m here to tell you what the truth is because I’m at the top of the pinnacle of my division, so there are no lies being told. I’m only speaking the facts of what I believe.
“Benavidez is a great fight for my twin brother because, hey, you got to move your head, you got to box, you got to stick him and hit him with some hard shots and maybe knock him out, so we don’t get the crowd involved.
“For me, Errol, and black American fighters, we have to fight past the crowd right now. This is the year, 2022, and we have to fight past the crowd,” said Jermell.
As long as Benavidez can make weight at 168, there’s no reason why he should move up to cruiserweight or heavyweight. If a fighter can make weight for a particular division, they’re allowed to fight in that class. Those are the rules.
There are a lot of boxing fans that view Jermell and Jermall as being weight bullies for their respective divisions.
When you look at both of them when they’re rehydrated, it’s hard not to think they should be fighting in a division above. Jermell looks like a full-fledged middleweight, and Jermall is clearly big enough to fight at 168.
Charlo predicting knock out of Brian Castano
“I’m capable of destroying him more than I destroyed any other fighter, and if they using bicep injury, I will give you a real bicep injury,” said Jermell about his upcoming fight against Brian Castano on May 14th.
“Come get your injury and I’m going to knock you the f*** out and move on to what’s next in my life and my career. Shawn Porter talk his crazy s***.
“You see he quit the game. He couldn’t take no more of this. It’s that type of game in the world right now in boxing,” said Charlo.
