By Sean Jones: Jermell Charlo posted a photo of himself on Instagram, showing off his bulked-up frame, looking nothing like the four-belt 154-lb champion self as he prepares to move up 14 lbs to challenge Canelo Alvarez for his undisputed 168-lb championship on September 30th.
Jermell is getting the fight against Canelo despite there being more qualified fighters, David Morrell Jr and David Benavidez, available at 168.
Moreover, Canelo choosing 154-lb fighter Jermell shows that he was never serious about wanting a rematch with Dmitry Bivol, who was willing to come down from 175 to fight him for his belts at 168.
The picture shows that Jermell is putting on weight to go from 154 to 168 for the fight with the stocky 5’8″ Canelo (59-2-2, 39 KOs). As big as Jermell was in his last three fights against Brian Castano and Jeison Rosario, this isn’t going to be as big a jump in size as many casual boxing fans believe it will be.
Charlo already has the size
The 6’0′ Jermell was arguably a weight bully at 154, looking like a 168-pounder against smaller opposition. That was what made him so effective. His brother Jermall is the same thing. Although he fought at 160, Jermall looked like he belonged at 168.
Jermell (35-1-1, 19 KOs) got the opportunity to get the payday after Canelo called him after his twin brother Jermall Charlo said he wouldn’t be ready to fight in September. The undisputed junior middleweight champion Jermell had said he wanted the fight, and Canelo was paying attention because he’s giving him the shot that he hasn’t earned.
“With Great Risk Comes Great Reward. 🦁#Sept30th #CaneloCharlo,” said Jermell Charlo on Instagram, talking about his September 30 fight against Canelo Alvarez.
Can Jermell Charlo make the jump without getting thrashed by Canelo? We saw what happened to Kell Brook in 2016 when he moved up two weight classes from 147 to 160 to challenge middleweight champion Gennadiy Golovkin. Brook took a beating and suffered an eye injury that led to his career going downhill.
Jermell is 33, he hasn’t fought in 14 months, fighting only once a year since 2020, and it’s clear that his career is winding down. As such, his fight with Canelo is arguably a cash-out, and it won’t be surprised if we only see Jermell fight a couple of times more, if at all, after he picks up the bag against the Mexican star on September 30.
If Jermell were still active and showing ambition with his career, this writer would say he’s taking a needless risk of injury going against Canelo, but he’s pretty much done, and it won’t matter if he gets hurt. We probably won’t see Jermell more than a couple of times after this fight.
Some boxing fans believe Jermell was avoiding his WBO mandatory at 154 Tim Tszyu by malingering, dragging out a hand injury, and seemingly waiting for someone to beat the Aussie so that he could avoid a loss against him. Was Jermell avoiding Tszyu? It sure looks that way, and Canelo saved him by giving him a massive payday.
What works against Jermell winning this fight is he only fights in spurts and mostly runs around, jabbing and not letting his hands go. To beat Canelo, Jermell will need to let his hands go, and he doesn’t fight like that, unfortunately for him. He’s a low-output type of fighter.
Can Jermell beat Canelo?
Jermell has a chance of beating Canelo, only because the Mexican star has shown that he’s lost a lot from his game in his recent fights against John Ryder, Gennadiy Golovkin, and Dmitry Bivol.
In those fights, Canelo looked old & tired, throwing only single shots and resting against the ropes for long periods in each round. At 33, Canelo is MUCH older than his chronological age.
What works against Jermell winning is the following:
– the judges
– No experience at 168
– Inactivity
– Weak resume
What goes over the heads of the average fan is the fact that Jermell Charlo’s resume is filled with cream puffs. Yeah, Jermell beat guys like Tony Harrison, Jeison Rosario, Brian Castano, Erickson Lubin, and Austin Trout, but those aren’t killers.
When Jermell was finally facing the first real test of his 15-year professional career against Tim Tszyu, he got injured and stayed out of the ring for over a year. Why did Jermell not fight Tszyu?
It’s obvious to some that he didn’t feel he was up to the task of beating Tszyu. If Jermell lacks the confidence to beat him, it stands to reason he’s NOT going to defeat Canelo.
