Charlo Being Lined Up For Tszyu-Spence Winner

Jermell Charlo is being lined up for a return — and the man across from him may already be decided.

According to sources, Charlo is being positioned as the next opponent for whoever wins from the Tim Tszyu versus Errol Spence Jr. fight in Australia on July 26.

"Jermell Charlo has not been seen since he lost to Canelo Alvarez. He moved up two weight classes to 168. Now I'm being told he's being lined up for the winner of the Tim Tszyu-Errol Spence fight. Nothing has been done yet, but behind the scenes, Charlo is being lined up for that fight at 154. That's his best weight class — he was the undisputed champion there. He's been pretty active on social media the last couple of months talking about 154," the source said

Charlo, 36, has been absent from boxing since September 2023, when he lost to Canelo Alvarez at middleweight/" class="internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2">super middleweight. It was a sobering defeat that raised questions about where he stood relative to the elite level.

The Tszyu-Spence fight in Australia carries its own significant stakes. Tszyu is unbeaten in 24 professional fights and has spent the past two years establishing himself as one of the most credible junior middleweights in the world.

Spence returns from a career that was briefly interrupted by a serious car accident in 2019 and later by eye surgery. However, is he still the same fighter following his 2023 stoppage loss to Terence Crawford. Whoever wins on July 26 will be in a strong position at 154 pounds.

The former gym connection between Charlo and Spence adds an interesting subplot if it is Spence who wins in Australia. The two former champions trained under Derrick James before parting ways, and a fight between them would carry the kind of personal history that could deliver a good matchup. For now, Charlo watches along with everyone else on July 26.