By Craig Daly: Jermell Charlo produced a doctor’s note today to prove that he does have a broken left hand, which prevents him from defending his undisputed junior middleweight championship against WBO mandatory Tim Tszyu on January 28th.
The fans went after Charlo today, saying that he’s faking his broken left hand to escape having his title reign come crashing down on his head by getting knocked out by the powerful challenger Tszyu (21-0, 15 KOs), who has the kind of power to knock out anyone in the division.
While it’s good that Jermell produced the doctor’s note, he failed to produce the x-rays to further prove his injury. The x-rays would be more conclusive evidence to show the fans than a short doctor’s note.
A picture is worth a thousand words, and Jermell should have asked the doctor to give him the x-ray so he could post it for the ultimate proof that he’s not faking to escape the brutal fight against Tszyu.
Charlo (35-1-1, 19 KOs) rejected the notion that he would ever purposefully back out of a fight and that he’s never done any such thing during his 37-fight career.
37 fights in ain’t never had to postpone shit. I’ll never back out or down from any man. Im King of 154. This ain’t no mental health issue, this ain’t no sling you can buy at a pharmacy like Castano did. Imma bounce back & give my supporters 2 fights this yr. Stay tune. pic.twitter.com/m6wc8s5p1A
— JERMELL CHARLO (@TwinCharlo) December 26, 2022
Charlo fighting twice in 20232 is hard to believe because he will be incapacitated for some time.
Let’s do the math:
- Cast wearing = 2 months
- Rehab = 2 months
- Training camp = 3 months
We’re talking seven months total before Jermell will be ready to fight Tszyu in the summer. By the time Jermell does fight Tszyu, the year will be more than half over, making it nearly impossible to slip in the second fight in 2023.
If he’s fighting someone talented like Sebastian ‘The Towering Inferno’ Fundora, he will need a long camp to prepare for the lanky 6’5 1/2″ WBC interim 154-lb champion.
If your Tszyu, it’s imperative that he take a stay-busy fight against one of the top contenders to prepare him for his summer match against Jermell.
Tony Harrison has already volunteered to fill in against Tszyu, and he’s been an ideal opponent.
Tszyu shouldn’t just sit for another seven months waiting for Charlo without fighting because he’s already been out of the ring for ninth months.
It only makes sense for Tszyu not to fight if he’s unsure whether he can beat a guy like Harrison. If Tszyu has any doubts about whether he can get the job done against Harrison, he can either sit & wait for Charlo or take a bottom feeder.