By Dan Ambrose: Jermell Charlo towered over Canelo Alvarez today for their first face-off at their kick-off press conference in New York.
The size difference between the two was surprising because if you didn’t know that it was Jermell (35-1-1, 19 KOs) that was coming up in weight from the 154-lb division, you’d think it was Canelo (59-2-2, 39 KOs) from the way he looked.
For the boxing fans that think Jermell is too small to win, look again. It’s Canelo that is lacking in size, and he’s going to have to figure out a way to deal with the height, reach & powerful jab of Charlo.
Canelo will defend his undisputed super middleweight championship against the challenger Charlo on September 30th on Showtime PPV at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
When Canelo was asked today if he plans on fighting Jermell’s brother, Jermall, Charlo, next if he’s victorious, he wouldn’t commit to that fight.
The press conference was disappointing in some ways, as neither fighter did any trash-talking. Canelo was polite, as always, whereas, Jermell just looked happy to be there, getting a big payday. Hopefully, the fight is more entertaining than the press conference because that would be a real let down.
Jermell Charlo: “My heart, my desire, my determination, my speed, maneuverability is going to help me win this fight,” said Jermell Charlo during today’s kick-off press conference.
“They put on great fights. I want to be the one that gets in there and takes away from all of that. It’s been years that me and my brother have been putting on boxing.
“When you want to win something this big, you’ve got to risk it all, and this is part of that moment. I’m going to be training my a** off, going crazy with it, and play it smart. You tune-in, lock-in on pay-per-view on September 20th.
“We’re going to turn this into a whole other ballfield, and I’m excited for it. I got to feed the family. We’re going to do it in whole another fashion.
“They don’t like. Those mother f***kers don’t like me,” said Jermell about a negative quote that Showtime’s Brian Custer read from a British website, which downgraded him. “They write all this crazy s**t, and talk crazy about me. Be proud of what’s going on. Be happy for the fight. I don’t care about them.”
Canelo Alvarez: “You’re one of the great fighters. You know Jermell Charlo is a great fighter, undisputed in his weight class. He takes challenges like me. I always take risks. We love being involved in these kind of fights. Stay tuned on September 30th because it’s going to be a great fight.”
