Jermell Charlo Hungry to Prove his Skill Superior to Canelo
In his next tour of duty, on September 30, undisputed super welterweight champion Jermell “Iron Man” Charlo (35-1-1, 19 KO’s) will take on undisputed 168-pound champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (59-2-2, 39 KO’s). As was expected, Charlo has garnered a great deal of attention because he will have to leap up two divisions to take on the well experienced veteran. Yet, according to the confident champion, this is the heart of why he has accepted the challenge in the first place.
“The world thinks Canelo is the best in the world, right? And I am here to show the world why I am the best in the world! I do this for the dogs, the hungry ones, I do it for the animals! I am made for this! After I beat Canelo, the crowd will be chanting ‘Charlo, Charlo, Charlo’!”
Provided that Iron Man comes out on top, he will, no doubt, acquire an army of new fans and respect throughout the industry. If victorious, Charlo will also be faced by a fresh dilemma of whether to remain in his new division as the undisputed champion or drop back down in weight. Both options could be tricky propositions.
A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE?
To begin, there is no guarantee that his body will react well to this new division. Throughout the history of boxing, there is no shortage of fighters who came up well short when trying to gamble in a new weight class.
By the same token, after successfully hopping up the two divisions, Iron Man’s body may not perform or respond well if he drops back down to 154. Such was the case with Roy Jones Jr. after traveling first to the heavyweight division and then dropping back down to light heavyweight. One fight back into the 175-pound landscape, Jones was flatlined by Antonio Tarver in what would become a nasty series of knockout losses. On the other hand, Charlo might return to form and stage an outstanding duel versus two-time undisputed champion Terence Crawford.
If Charlo made a home at 160, he would be invading the well-established territory of his brother, Jermall Charlo. Although, it should be mentioned, Jermall has been inactive for over two years. In fact, it is rather jaw-dropping that Jermall Charlo has been allowed to retain his title for all this time. Nevertheless, if housed in the same division, there will definitely be fans intrigued by the would-be showdown. More than likely they would never fight, but the pressure and questions to mix it up may cause too much drama by itself. Thankfully we don’t have too much longer to see the thrilling outcome to Charlo versus Canelo. Afterwards, we can trouble ourselves with what the victor will do for themselves.
