Jermall Charlo has surprisingly done an about-face, denying that he’s had negotiations with Canelo Alvarez after posting on Instagram earlier today that he’s facing him on May 4th.
Assuming that Jermall (33-0, 22 KOs) hasn’t been told to keep the information on the Canelo fight quiet until it’s announced officially by the promoters of the May 4th event, it means that the Mexican star has other fighters from the U.S that he’s got in mind for that date.
Jermall Shuts Down Speculation
“I haven’t even talked to Al Haymon since I last fought. So everybody that keeps talking about, ‘You’re about to fight Canelo,’ – ain’t no confirmation,” said Jermall on Instagram.
The real question is, why did Jermall post confirmation on Instagram earlier today that he IS fighting Canelo on May 4th? Why do that if he’s had no talks with Haymon? That’s strange. Was Jermall just wanting to mess with the fans, getting their hopes up for nothing, or was he told to pipe down by his management?
The promoters generally want to be the ones that announce the fights because they want to word it in a special way to create the most amount of noise. If it’s a big enough fight, it doesn’t matter if the fighter reveals the information first. The fans still want to see it.
This writer suspects Jermall has been told to pipe down by his management, to keep quiet until they’re the ones that announce the Canelo fight for May 4th, especially if the negotiations are still ongoing. Jermall can’t be announcing it unless the contracts have been signed.
Crawford and Benavidez: The Remaining Contenders?
If Jermall is not in the running for the fight with Canelo, that leaves these two suspects:
- Terence Crawford
- David Benavidez
Of those two, the 36-year-old Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) is the one that has been seen in the gym, looking as big as a house, having put on some weight, and working out this week.
Crawford wouldn’t be bulking up like that if he wasn’t in the running for Canelo’s May 4th fight because he looks way too big right now. He doesn’t normally balloon up in weight like that before fights.
Benavidez isn’t expected to be Canelo’s next opponent, as some believe that he’s being saved for last by Alvarez for his third and final fight on his PBC contract in September.
