Jermall Charlo Says David Benavidez Brings Little to the Table
Had things gone according to plan, WBC middleweight champion Jermall “Hit Man” Charlo (32-0, 22 KO’s) would be squaring off with Jaime Munguia in his next dustup. Instead he will lock horns with late replacement Maciej Sulecki on June 18. In an effort to push the fight and keep his name fresh, Charlo made a recent appearance on Hotboxin hosted by Mike Tyson.
Unquestionably, one of the most glaring aspects of the encounter was Hit Man’s complete unwillingness to formally call out David “Red Flag” Benavidez (25-0, 22 KO’s). The two have spit and snarled at one another over social media a great deal in the past. While those rants make for good conversation fodder, they never materialized into an actual fight. It should be said though, the push for the fight died on the Charlo side initially.
WHY I GOT TO DO ALL THAT?
Oddly enough, it was Charlo who initiated the back and forth by saying that he would go up to super middleweight to make the fight with no problem. Sadly, when Benavidez returned that same energy, Hit Man cooled off in an awful hurry and no longer displayed any interest in the fight.
When on Hotboxin, Mike Tyson literally pleaded with Charlo to call out Benavidez, who he renamed the “Mexican Monster,” off and on throughout the entire show. Rather than oblige Tyson, and a great deal of the fanbase, Charlo gave just about every reason that he could as to why he was not going to get aggressive with Benavidez.
“I just think his value is low, it’s not worth as much as a fight like Canelo. I’d rather get the best in the world right now that got a belt…Man, I don’t have to disrespect him to let him know I want to fight. Mike, it ain’t like that no more.”
PLAYING NICE
Charlo’s cold feet, in terms of calling for a Benavidez match, are very characteristic of this generation of fighters’ obsession with the business side of boxing. Obviously these athletes are literally putting their lives on the line when they enter the ring and they should be compensated for that. No one is arguing that point. Yet, there is no question that two-time 168-pound champion David Benavidez is more accomplished and viewed as a bigger threat and attraction than Jaime Munguia and Maciej Sulecki, combined.
For example, Munguia has been in prime position for, but avoided, a title shot against WBO middleweight champion Demetrius Andrade for years. Likewise, Charlo has been presented and forcefully passed on the option to fight the undefeated, former Olympian and two-division champion himself. Charlo blamed this on personal reasons though. Even worse, Andrade has already beaten Sulecki three years ago. Andrade is also a bigger fight and more dangerous threat than Munguia and Sulecki, combined.
So, sadly enough, it seems that Hit Man is perfectly comfortable bypassing fights that both the fans and boxing legends are clamoring for due to “business” or personal rationales. Which begs the ultimate question, how is avoiding the best fights that the public is calling for good business?
“The Mexican Monster, you keep throwing that up every time I . . . He instigating, he want it bad!”
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By: Bakari Simpson
