Jermell Charlo: “What I do to Canelo might shut him [Crawford] up”

By Craig Daly: Jermell Charlo thinks he could shut Terence Crawford up and give him second thoughts about wanting to fight him after he gets done beating undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez on September 30th.

Jermell (35-1-1, 19 KOs) believes he’s going to beat Canelo (59-2-2, 39 KOs) in such a way that Crawford won’t want to fight him any longer.

But assuming Crawford still does want to fight him, Jermell says they can possibly meet halfway at 160 rather than him coming all the way down to 154.

The problem is that Jermell will need to face Canelo in an immediate rematch if he beats him unless the Mexican elects to walk away and absorb the loss without trying to avenge it.

It would be next to impossible for Jermell to return to 154 to fight Crawford after fighting Canelo twice at 168.

Moving back down in weight to 154 would be trouble for Jermell, and he could wind up trained like Errol Spence Jr. when he fought Crawford and made him look better than he is.

Jermell will be calling the shots

Brian Custer: “What is Canelo & the people going to find out about Jermell Charlo after this fight?” said Brian to Showtime Boxing.

Jermell Charlo: “That I got a good movement. I can move. I got a good training system, and that I was well-prepared for this fight.”

Brian: “On your social media, you said, ‘I’m going to shock the world. Then I’m coming back to hold my throne at 154. I’m the king. Nothing but mega-fights from here on out, and yeah, we can make that Crawford fight.’

“So is it Canelo and then your intention to go back down to 154?”

Jermell: “I might not necessarily go back down to 154 [to fight Terence Crawford]. I might meet him at 160. I might meet him somewhere. If you want to make a mega-fight, I want to make a mega-fight. Terence Crawford isn’t the mega-fight. I’m the mega-fight.

“Once I beat Canelo and I have that throne at 168, what y’all going to do? Y’all going to be wondering, ‘What’s going on with Jermell Charlo?’

“Yeah, he [Crawford] won undisputed at 140. Yeah, he won it at 147, but he’s biting a little too much. So he’s going to come try to fight me, but what I do to Canelo might shut him up.”

Brian: “Were you surprised by the way he beat Errol Spence.”

Jermell: “I was. I just knew something wasn’t right with Errol. Something was off. I knew it wasn’t his best day. You could see it from the first round. Usually, the first round for Errol is a blowout.

“He starts out fast, he starts out moving, and this one is a little bit different. I don’t want to give an excuse for Errol, but know the weight could have been an issue. He needs to go up to 154 or 160, whatever he decides. I think that’s the best thing for him and his health.

“I’m undisputed. I can’t be a little cub,” said Jermell when told that Crawford is saying he’s coming for the “Little cub.”

“I’m the big lion, the big king,” Jermell said. “You ever see a lion go back & forth in a battle with another lion? They get war wounds, scratches & scrapes, and they go back to doing what they normally do. So I’m here for that.

“I’m here for all of that. I don’t know what fisherman he thinks he is. He ain’t going to poach me.”

Beating Canelo solidifies Jermell

Brian: “You got Canelo. If you beat Canelo, what do you think that does for your career?”

Jermell: “It solidifies everything for me. It makes me feel. It puts me at the top of the pinnacle. He’s one of the best in the boxing game right now, amongst other people, but I feel like I’ve always been underrated. I never got the love.

“I have the achievements. I have all of that, but I didn’t get the love that I deserve. I think possibly because I’m a twin. He didn’t accomplish some of the things that I accomplished.

“So they always compared that. That kind of messed it up for me, but I don’t feel like I’m an underdog artist. I’m a mainstream artist.”