Jermall Charlo has had a lot of setbacks late in his career that has led to long layoffs. The latest, though, was out of his control.
The Charlo-Mazoudier fight was going to be the co-main event on the Premier Boxing Champions card featuring Errol Spence against Australian favorite Tim Tszyu on July 25. Spence made it to Sydney earlier in the week, but Charlo got held up in Los Angeles waiting to complete the trip. On Friday, he received word that it wasn’t going to happen.
“Unfortunately, I will not be able to fight next Saturday,” Charlo wrote on his Instagram story Friday evening. “I’ve been training nonstop for the last three months and was ready to make a statement. I want to apologize to all my fans and let them know I will keep training and be back on a PBC event very soon.”
“Australian government,” Charlo added with a thumbs down emoji. “Out of my control… I will stay focused and locked in. Premier Boxing will update you soon.”
This part of the 36-year-old’s career has been marked by inactivity. Charlo was one of the best boxers in the world, winning the middleweight title in 2015, then successfully defending it three times before moving up to super middleweight and winning that title as well. He won five straight title defenses at super middleweight, but after beating Juan Macias Montiel in front of a raucous hometown crowd at Toyota Center in June 2021, Charlo faced several hurdles outside the ring, including a bout with depression.
He has fought just three times since that night, beating José Benavidez Jr., in 2023, then taking out Lamanna two years later.
Before a recent workout at Ronnie Shields Boxing in Stafford, Charlo was upbeat and talking about setting up bigger fights as soon as he took care of Mazoudier.
“I’ve been training really hard and staying at peace,” he said. “I can tell it’s working by the way my body’s flowing. Everything is just really clicking.”
Now, he’ll have to wait again.