There’s no denying Jermell Charlo is a talented fighter, he really is. But the more he talks, the more you have to wonder what’s in the water he’s drinking. In the world according to Charlo; he sees himself as the true alpha king of the pack. But it comes off more like a loud chihuahua rather than a pit-bull. In one breath he goes off on Terence Crawford, and in the next he clout chases against Canelo Alvarez.
What “Bud” Should Do
According to Charlo, Crawford needs to stay “in his own lane” and fight Errol Spence. Yes that’s something every boxing fan wants. But it’s starting to look like this generations Floyd-Manny; if it ever happens at all. He told the three-division champion if he thinks about coming up to 154 and mixing it up with him, he’d get knocked “the f**k out”.
Sure, Charlo has the talent to do that. However; the ring IQ, and skillset of Crawford would frustrate Charlo for 12-rounds till he made a fatal mistake and then paid a hefty price. Now whether that battle would even happen, especially as a first-step is questionable. Let alone the move up. Errol Spence welcomed Mikey Garcia, and Charlo welcoming Crawford would be a barn-burner. Especially since Crawford is tired of being overlooked at welterweight.
So if Crawford did make the change, is there anyone else for him? Sure. A fight with Tim Tszyu would be electric. It would be interesting to see how long the size of Sebastian Fundora bothered Crawford till he started breaking him down. But a real gritty welcome to the division would be Liam Smith. And with Crawford being a slightly more popular name in the UK for some reason, it would be a good location for it. Add in that Charlo has his hands more than full with Brian Castano once again for all the straps.
The World According To Charlo… And Canelo
Yes, everyone wants to fight Alvarez. And why not. He’s the money fight, he moves up and down divisions at will like a boomerang being thrown in the Australian Outback. Canelo’s fight with Bivol may or may not go down, depending on if the US will allow the Russian in. But if that gets scratched last second, there’s still 6-7 other names well ahead of a Canelo-Charlo fight.
And that doesn’t bother Charlo either way. He told the Mexican pound-for-pound fighter, if he won’t fight Jermall; HE wants him. Which might be overstated as one of the biggest clout chases ever, but it’s close. Castano exposed even more holes than Tony Harrison did (for example: not able to mix things up in tight). And might very well do it again. What does he think the pound-for-pound king would do. We’re not talking Rocky Balboa hitting meat in the walk-in freezer, but it wouldn’t be pretty.
Perhaps what the 31-year old “Iron Man” should do is heed his own advice. Or at least clean his own plate first.
