The WBC has spontaneously upturned the 154 lbs division by stripping Jermell Charlo of his WBC title and making it available for Sebastian Fundora’s March 30 fight against Serhii Bohachuk. Shortly following PBCs announcement of Fundora and Bohachuk fighting each other for the 154 lbs WBC interim title, the WBC reacted swiftly by taking Charlo’s belt four months after he fought Canelo Alvarez at super middleweight. Charlo has also been appointed to be the WBC’s champion-in-recess at 154 lbs, signaling a return for him to the division depending on his choice.
While the WBO stripped Jermell Charlo (35-2-1, 19 KO’s) last year prior to his September 30th bout against Canelo Alvarez (60-2-2, 39 KO’s)―after which the title fell into the hands of Australian fighter Tim Tszyu (24-0, 17 KO’s), the WBC cited a different reason for Charlo being stripped; the uncertainty as to whether he would continue his career at super welterweight/junior middleweight to fight at super middleweight (or elsewhere) again. As a result, he has been made the champion-in-recess which will allow him to challenge for the title upon his return.
Notably, Sebastian Fundora (20-1-1, 13 KO’s) seems to benefit the most from this sudden change of events despite suffering a knockout loss to Brian Mendoza (22-3, 16 KO’s) in his last fight which occurred the previous year in April. Having already been poised to face Serhii Bohachuk (23-1, 23 KO’s) for the interim version of the WBC 154 lbs title, the actual world title is now within Fundora’s grasp.
Fundora’s fortune in fighting for an interim world title following his loss to now fight for a full world title certainly draws eyebrows, especially considering the vagueness surrounding the relinquishment of Jermell Charlo’s WBC title. It should also be noted that Fundora fought for a WBC interim title during his last match against Mendoza, and got instantly chosen for the opportunity despite suffering a loss last time around.
One instance that might have made Fundora become a sudden contender is the fact he was winning on the scorecards against Mendoza prior to being knocked out. However, this does not explain why other contenders who were active and winning were not picked, including #4-ranked American WBC 154-pounder Erickson Lubin (26-2, 18 KO’s), and #5-rated Vergil Ortiz Jr. (20-0, 20 KO’s) who recently moved up from welterweight.
Prior to the WBC title having been vacated, there had been no indication that Charlo was to be stripped or penalized, and the reasoning behind the WBC’s decision does not seem based on Charlo’s decision to move up to 168 lbs to fight Canelo Alvarez. Instead, the WBC’s assertion that Charlo will no longer fight at super welterweight could have been due to private conversations held between the two parties, thus prompting Charlo to be relegated to champion-in-recess which would allow him to challenge for the WBC title again if he does choose to remain at 154 lbs.
Though it is unknown what Jermell Charlo’s plans are for the near future, it is likely he will not be returning to the ring anytime soon given his champion-in-recess status which is reserved for fighters dealing with long-term injuries or extraordinary circumstances that would require them to remain out of the ring for a prolonged there.
This status might also indicate that Jermell Charlo’s remaining super welterweight title (WBA) might also soon be relinquished, though there has been no news from Charlo’s camp as to what his plans are going forward.
Jermell Charlo last defended his WBC (along with his WBA and IBF titles) belt in May of 2022 when he defeated Argentinian fighter Brian Castano to claim Castano’s WBO super welterweight title and subsequently become undisputed as a result. Having not defended any of the titles since that period, Charlo reigned approximately 20 months as a WBC champion without defending it during that timespan, making it long overdue for him to be stripped.
However, given Charlo’s current champion-in-recess status, there is certainly still an opportunity for him to catch a quick rise to the top if he decides to return to the 154 lbs division.
