Jermell Charlo suffered his second loss on Saturday night when he faced Canelo Alvarez at super middleweight. Unfortunately, his lackluster performance on September 30th has damaged both his reputation and his future opportunities in the sport.
Despite his repeated expressions of interest in fighting Canelo Alvarez (60-2-2, 39 KO’s), Jermell Charlo (35-2-1, 19 KO’s) appeared far from confident or assured when he stepped into the ring with Alvarez, resulting in a dominant win for the Mexican undisputed champion.
Charlo’s performance, marked by a lack of aggression and his preference for fighting on the backfoot, which he struggled with, has significantly reduced interest in potential future fights. While Jermell Charlo still holds the unified championship title following Tim Tszyu’s (23-0, 17 KO’s) promotion to full WBO champion, his highly publicized attempt to challenge Canelo Alvarez has backfired immensely.
Before the September 30th fight, a potential matchup between Jermell Charlo and Terence Crawford (40-0, 31 KO’s) had been eagerly anticipated due to a longstanding conflict between the two fighters. Crawford’s recent victory over Charlo’s stablemate, Errol Spence Jr. (28-1, 22 KO’s), had added even more excitement to this potential bout. However, the enthusiasm for this matchup has quickly waned following Jermell Charlo’s tentative performance against Canelo Alvarez.
Terence Crawford himself indicated his disinterest in fighting Jermell Charlo the day after the fight via social media:
“Okay, everyone, I’m moving on from @TwinCharlo [Jermell Charlo]. He’s no longer on my radar,” Crawford tweeted on October 1st.
“He went out there and laid down, letting Canelo dominate him without putting up any resistance.“
The supposed rivalry between Jermell Charlo and Terence Crawford, which had gained momentum after Crawford’s July 29th victory over Errol Spence, appears to have quickly fizzled out. During that fight, Crawford had briefly taunted Jermell Charlo, who was in the crowd, moments after defeating Spence in the ring.
Jermell Charlo’s performance last Saturday has also faced criticism from figures within the boxing world, including Eddie Hearn, who briefly discussed Canelo Alvarez’s victory over Jermell Charlo:
“I just don’t understand how you can sit at a press conference, make bold claims about your time, your legacy, and shocking the world, only to not put up a fight. He was clearly outmatched,” Eddie Hearn remarked with frustration on Matchroom Boxing’s channel.
“Such performances can significantly affect your profile in the future. Before, Jermell Charlo against Terence Crawford was a potential mega-fight. Is it still?
“Who’s excited to see Jermell Charlo return to the ring? I thought it was a highly disappointing fight, but I’m pleased that Saul [Alvarez] achieved it. Saul probably expected more from Charlo as well, but Charlo went into a defensive shell and simply tried to survive.“
Jermell Charlo may have a chance to redeem himself and rebuild his reputation by facing the winner of the Tim Tszyu and Brian Mendoza (22-2, 16 KO’s) bout. This would potentially be a fight for the undisputed title, as the winner would either retain or win the WBO super welterweight title.
Ironically, it was Jermell Charlo’s own actions that led to his title being up for grabs in the first place, as the WBO stripped him and promoted Tszyu after he (or his promoter) deliberately delayed Tszyu’s opportunity to fight for the WBO title for nearly two years.
If Tszyu defeats Mendoza, Charlo will have to return to where he started and face Tszyu again to regain the reputation he lost after his fight with Canelo Alvarez. The winner of that potential fight would become undisputed, creating an exciting storyline for both fighters in the event of a showdown.
In an interview before his fight with Alvarez, Jermell Charlo mentioned that he would continue his career at 154 lbs, but he now faces both opportunities and challenges, with contenders like Tim Tszyu, other capable super welterweights, and possibly Terence Crawford seeing him as beatable following the vulnerabilities he displayed against Canelo Alvarez.
It’s clear that a challenging road lies ahead for Jermell Charlo, but there are still opportunities for him to reclaim his position as the top 154-pounder and a pound-for-pound fighter, provided he can overcome the odds stacked against him.
