Jermell Charlo Delivered 2023’s Biggest Letdown Against Canelo
The most prestigious award in boxing is Fighter of the Year. Yet, unified junior middleweight champion Jermell “Iron Man” Charlo is the inaugural recipient of the 3Kings Boxing’s inverse of that accolade – the Biggest Letdown of 2023.
THE BUILD-UP
Boxing fans were surprised to learn that undisputed super middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, decided to fight Iron Man instead of twin brother Jermall “Hit Man” Charlo. Like Canelo, boxing pundits also believed then-undisputed champion Charlo (35-2-1, 19KO) was the better fighter.
Hit Man hadn’t been in the ring since 2021, and was apparently dealing with personal issues. Whereas Iron Man consistently displayed the fighter’s mentality. He had a better resume, proved to be the hungrier fighter, and fought like a man on a mission.
Boxing fans were impressed with how he bounced back in rematches against Tony Harrison and Brian Castano by scoring devastating knockouts. Some inside the boxing community even believed he could win the super middleweight undisputed crown.
The Texan’s confidence was through the roof in the build up of the fight. He explained that moving up two weight classes for the fight wasn’t going to be a problem. Charlo added more fuel to the fire by claiming the fans were going to get their money’s worth, and he was going to represent the culture.
DISAPPOINTING PERFORMANCE
On September 30, 2023, fans filed into the T-Mobile Arena in droves with high expectations, only to be heavily disappointed. Charlo gave the most abysmal career performance and the criticism that followed was justified.
Fans took to social media lashing out at Charlo in packs with a verbal assault. Commentator Sergio Mora made fun of the Charlo twins’ moniker “Lions Only” by calling it “Lying Only.” For several days, boxing fans continued to vent their frustration on social media.
To make things even worse, the Texan, after being arrested for misdemeanor assault, had an audio leaked of him sounding unremorseful for hitting a woman.
Charlo needs to do a lot of work to win back the fans in 2024. The question is: can he do it?
