Jermall Charlo’s Trainer Lauds His Resilience Post Mental-Health Battle
Jermall Charlo is back to his old self following his recent struggles outside of the ring.
That is according to his trainer, Ronnie Shields. The WBC middleweight champion has been absent from the sport since 2021 after battling mental health struggles. His last fight was a win over Juan Macias Montiel in 2021, which he won by a unanimous decision. Since then, Charlo had been linked with a fight against Canelo Alvarez. However, Jermell Charlo (his brother) took the fight instead.
In a disappointing performance, though, Charlo came out second best, much to the frustration of the boxer, as he lost via a unanimous decision. While that may been the case, Jermall is still targeting the Canelo fight later down the line. But in order to do that, the boxer must overcome Jose Benavidez Jr. on November 25th, 2023.
The two fighters are the co-main event attraction on the David Benavidez Vs. Demetrius Andrade card. Charlo’s WBC middleweight title is not on the line, but he is the favorite, given that Benavidez Jr. is a natural junior middleweight. But given by what Shields has seen so far, Charlo is back to his best. And a key point had been Charlo’s decision to spend time with Roy Jones Jr.
Shields On Charlo
“I told Roy Jones, ‘I just need you to take him under your wing for a little bit. I know everybody was saying, ‘Oh, he left Ronnie. He went to Roy.’ It was me. I saw Roy at a fight, we exchanged numbers and we talked. I said, ‘Man, I just need somebody in his ear, a person that I know he respects and somebody that’s an icon in the sport, to explain things to him, let him know how things work.
“God and family first, and then boxing. I saw a big difference in him,” Shields said. “I saw shades of his old self. Then, as we started back working again, I started seeing everything come back. Slowly but surely, but he’s at a good point in his life right now,” Shields said
With that being said, Charlo is targeting big things moving forward. He expanded on how he was willing to move up to light heavyweight if it meant he had the chance to create more history. The weight class would put him alongside Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev, two undefeated fighters who are looking on course to face each other for undisputed. Outside of that, a run at the 168-pound division was also on his radar. Fights against Canelo, Benavidez, Caleb Plant and David Morrell Jr. could play out in that division.
Charlo’s Ambitions
“I will give the fans what they want. If they want to see me fight at 160 pounds and defend the title, I’ll do what I have to do to make the weight and do everything to be at the top of my level. Then I can go to 168 and fight there. I’ll probably move up to light heavyweight. Whatever the fans want to see me do, I’ll try it.
“Money doesn’t have anything to do with my motivations. I fight for my legacy. This is about me getting back to the best me. I want to be able to give the fans and everyone who supports me the best of me. I get a chance to go in there and am ready for war. Just know that. I’m motivated, and I’m ready to show everybody,” Charlo stated
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