Jermell Charlo Could Make History, Errol Spence Jr. Reacts

Jermell Charlo will enter into the history books of boxing if he manages to beat Canelo Alvarez on September 30th, 2023.  

That is according to Tim Bradley. Arguably, Charlo has already put himself into the conversation to become a future hall of famer by virtue of the fact that he is undisputed at junior middleweight.

While that may be the case, Charlo is facing the biggest challenge of his career as he jumps up two-weight classes in order to fight Alvarez. 

And in the process of doing so, Charlo will fight above 154 lbs for the first time ever in his career. And on top of that, Charlo has been out of the ring for 16 months which is not ideal when he is facing a hungry Canelo who has just had a win over John Ryder in May. 

However, if Charlo can come out victorious, he will dethrone the king of the super-middleweight division and become undisputed at two weight classes. 

But realistically, Bradley does not see anything other than a Canelo win.

“I personally think this fight is a mismatch. I still think it does astronomical numbers, because it’s Canelo Alvarez and he’s facing an African American. If anybody’s banking on Charlo to knock Canelo out, you can wish that goodbye – because Canelo has one of the best chins in all of boxing.It’s going to be a tall, tall task for Charlo. But if he somehow pulls this off? Wow…. because he would cement himself as one of the pound-for-pound guys of today,” Bradley

Nevertheless, the pressure is all off Charlo. Even if the American were to come out second best, he would not have tarnished his name.

This is on the basis that Charlo’s position at 154 lbs would not be impacted. Having said that, though, he could then be ordered to fight Tim Tszyu which would not be ideal on the back end of a loss. 

Spence’s View

But any fears of Charlo being overpowered at 168 have been dismissed by Errol Spence Jr. The latter is Charlo’s stable mate, as both fighters train under Derrick James.

Therefore, the ‘Truth’ is well aware of what Charlo is capable of doing. Spence highlighted how Charlo was taller than Canelo, as the American stands at 6 feet compared to the Mexican who is 5 feet 8.

Not only that, but Canelo started his career at 140  lbs, showing that it is possible to move up in weight for shorter guys, let alone Charlo who is taller. 

“Nah because when Canelo started, he started at 147 pounds, and if you look at pictures with Jermell and Canelo, I’m taller than Canelo.

“Jermell has got some size too. I feel he’ll mesh with the weight [168] really good. He can’t just bulk up and get too big and then be sluggish. I think if he just walks around and waits, he’ll be just fine. I think he’ll be just fine. He’s big for their weight class.

“He can fight, and I think he’ll be more energetic at that higher weight. He can’t just sit around in front of Canelo and try and pick him off with shots and try to put fear in his heart. But I think Jermell is a big guy, so I think he’ll be just fine,” Spence stated 

Post the Charlo-Canelo fight, though, Spence has not ruled out facing the Mexican himself. Canelo’s current three-fight deal with the PBC could include a bout against Spence.

However, he also faces competition from David Benavidez who has long been linked with a fight. But if Spence was offered it, he had no hesitation in getting it on. 

“They probably already got the names picked out. It’s already pre-written.  I have no idea. I give people speculation, but it’s nothing but speculation. Yeah, I might.

“It’s something that I would definitely think about, but I’m focussed on the task at hand [WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford], and I want to get a belt at 154 too,” Spence 

Much like Charlo, Spence also has a chance to make history. Victory over the WBO welterweight champion, Terence Crawford, would make the unified welterweight champion the best in his era.

And as part of that process, the winner would become the first undisputed welterweight champion in the four belt era. As well as that, the victor would retain his unbeaten record against the very best. 

Charlo and Spence may not be the favorites going into their respective fights, but their resume shows that they are capable of mixing it with the best of them. And one way or another, both fighters will be judged based on the outcomes of those fights. 

With that being said, time will tell who comes out victorious moving forward in the future.

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