The September 30th match-up between the undisputed middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez and unified champion Jermell Charlo has left no bystander thoroughly impressed, given the rather lackluster nature of their bout. Though initially styled as an undisputed vs. undisputed fight, this proved to be inaccurate, as Charlo was stripped of his WBO belt upon the ring announcement. This was one of the first signs that the match would not live up to the advertised expectations.
The performance of Jermell Charlo (35-2-1, 19 KO’s) during his super middleweight match against Canelo Alvarez (60-2-2, 39 KO’s) has since been highly criticized. He was accused of taking the fight for the money rather than as a challenge, as he had claimed in other interviews.
For the world of boxing overall, it was an unessential match from the beginning, as neither Alvarez nor Charlo would gain much from winning or losing. If Charlo had won, he likely would not have remained in the division, even with his new undisputed super middleweight status. Alvarez’s victory that night did little more than add another win to his resume, which is not particularly important or noteworthy, considering Charlo moved up two weight classes and underperformed.
Recently-promoted WBO super welterweight champion Tim Tszyu (23-0, 17 KO’s) expressed his own opinion on the fight during an interview with The Ring in the lead-up to his October 15th fight against WBC interim champion Brian Mendoza (22-2, 16 KO’s).
“I’ve said it a few times already, but I can’t blame the guy [Jermell Charlo]. It was a business decision,” Tszyu told The Ring Boxing Magazine. “If the phone had rung and they had offered me a fight against Canelo, I would have said, ‘Yes’ in a heartbeat.
“So, it was a win-win for him as he got paid and got to keep most of his belts at 154, so a loss didn’t mean anything to him.“
Tszyu also offered his own thoughts on Charlo’s performance and didn’t hold back in his criticism.
“I thought Charlo was terrible,” Tszyu said. “Canelo figured him out in one round, and that was all she wrote. He talked a big game and called himself a lion, but he seriously looked scared in there, like a cub.
“I’ll give him respect for surviving a full 12 rounds with Canelo, but man, I fully expected him to put up a better fight. He had the chance to make history handed to him on a platter, and ultimately he crumbled.
“He didn’t adapt to anything his corner was telling him either; it was so weird, man. It was frustrating because while I was watching it, all I could think was that it should’ve been me giving him that lesson, not Canelo.”
Tim Tszyu also expressed interest in fighting Jermell Charlo, as he had done in the past, but he doesn’t seem intent on waiting for the American to step into the ring with him.
“Who knows how long that guy Charlo is going to need this time after that performance, but knowing him, it might be another 12 months, and I’m not waiting around. Titles will come, but I want the big names on my resume. I’m not waiting for anyone.” Tszyu affirmed.
In a scenario where Jermell Charlo takes a lengthy respite from boxing, as he did following both his matches with Brian Castano (17-1-2, 12 KO’s), he will likely be stripped of his belts. World champions are required to defend their titles within six to nine months, according to the rules of the various sanctioning bodies.
As Charlo has not defended any of his super welterweight titles since May 2022, he already faces the risk of losing his titles, as evident by the WBO’s recent decision to strip him of his WBO title.
