At 36, Jermell Charlo is basically hitting the reset button. Three years on the shelf completely wiped out the buzz he built before taking that massive check against Canelo Alvarez. Now, heading out to Australia for an undercard slot shows just how far the former undisputed junior middleweight champ has fallen down the pecking order.
Main Event TV reported via The Ring that Charlo secured his visa to compete down under. He is slated to appear underneath Tim Tszyu, who is challenging Erislandy Lara for the WBA middleweight belt. Organizers have not locked in a date or a venue yet. Charlo does not have a confirmed opponent either, though local Australian fighters are in the mix.
Charlo spent recent months calling out major names, but none of those callouts turned into actual contracts. Sure, his resume as a former undisputed champion carries name recognition. Getting fans excited to buy his fights after sitting out this long is an entirely different story.
Back in September 2023, he jumped up two weight classes to take on Canelo. The fight secured him a career high payday, yet his timid showing ruined the opportunity to grow his fanbase. Canelo put him on the canvas in round seven. Charlo barely threw anything meaningful in response, dropping a lopsided decision.
Then, he simply vanished. While rivals moved in to claim the belts at 154 pounds, Charlo gave the public zero action to keep his momentum alive.
The irony here is wild. Tszyu spent months chasing a shot at Charlo when Charlo held all four belts. Now, Charlo is fighting on Tszyu’s undercard to rebuild his career from scratch.
Taking on an unheralded local makes total sense for a guy who has been away for three years. It highlights his reality. He needs ring time to prove he can still hang with elite talent before anyone takes him seriously in marquee discussions.
His past accolades might get people to look his way. At age 36, only sharp work inside the ropes will convince anyone to keep tuning in.
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About the authorRob Smith
Boxing • Jermell Charlo • Jermell Charlo Rebuilding From Scratch On Tim Tszyu Undercard