Undefeated WBC middleweight champion Jermall Charlo discussed training camp and more ahead of his showdown against Jose Benavidez Jr., which serves as the Showtime PPV co-main event on November 25 from Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. Charlo-Benavidez in a 10-round non-title WBC special event as Charlo ends an over two-year layoff.
Jermall Charlo
“I’m excited to be back – back where I belong. I’m really re-learning boxing, like in the amateurs all over again. I feel new to it. It’s a thrill at the same time. I’m putting my life on the line once again, to shock the world and let people know that I’m on top.
“A lot of people consider mental health when can’t stabilize your mind and think forward. And that’s kind of where I was at. I was in a place of not being able to explain it to anyone and kind of always shielded it and I had to fight through that through my learning experiences. The main thing I’ve learned this whole time is patience. I got ready on my own terms. I’m back in the ring on my own terms. I feel better at my own pace and I’m going to go in and face my battles on my own timing.
“Benavidez is just one of those guys who has to make a name for himself. Of course, talking s— to me would be the best thing you can do because you’re only amping the fight up. I mean, I guess he is trying to sell the fight, but I’m taking it personal and I’m taking it seriously. I’m not taking his words lightly.
“He wants to fight me I guess in revenge for his brother. There’s a lot of brother-brother stuff going on, you know, the Charlo brothers and the Benavidez brothers. So it’s the battle of the brothers and if you want this to be your biggest rival, let’s do it. I’m coming back after two years, no excuses. I’m here to fight.
“I don’t have respect for him. I have respect for myself to go out there and dictate the fight, be patient. Of course, if I hit him flush, I’ll knock him cold out. Walking all over him, AI (Allen Iverson) s—. I’m going crazy. I’m just trying not to let the excitement overpower me.
“I actually want to be more active next year, take on two or three fights. I’m ready to stay in the gym and stay focused and hopefully I can land one of those big fights you want to see. Maybe the winner out of the main event or maybe Canelo, YouTubers coming up. You know, I really don’t care. I just want to fight.”
Ronnie Shields
“I think Jermall Charlo is back. He’s back to where he was two years ago. His attitude is great and he’s really looking forward to training every day.
“Ring rust is ring rust, but this is why we train every day, to get the rust off. I mean, I wish the fight was tomorrow because he’s ready to go.
“I think Jose Jr. brings a lot, especially with his attitude, which is ferocious and that’s a good attitude to have I guess in this business. You know, look, Jose is like his brother David. They are both good fighters and you can say they train hard, and they come to fight. And that’s a good thing. But you know what, we’re looking for a fight.
“I’ve been dissecting everything, absolutely. I know everything about Jose and what we can exploit and everything that I see that he does that I think can work in our favor. So we’re definitely looking at everything. In the end, I think Jermall is going to be too strong.
“Jermall is like a son to me. He’s in a great place right now. He’s with his wife and his kids and really enjoying everything right now. I think it’s that frame of mind that it takes for him to succeed. Now that he has that back and he’s so happy and joyful about everything little thing, that’s a great place for him to be.
“I think Jose Benavidez Jr. is going to come out fast, like he always does and he’s going to try and put on a lot of pressure on ’Mall and try to hit him with things we don’t normally get hit with. But whatever he brings, we got something for him. I think ’Mall’s power is special and we’re going to keep backing him up with the power.”
Bottom line… Talk is talk… Once the bell rings, that’s what matters.
It’s all that matters.
How true.
I wish, I gotta, I awtta, yadda-yadda-yadda. I’m in agreement with everyone else here so far. Ding-dong, let’s get it on. We have a few questions that need to be answered and interviews just don’t cut it. We’ll watch 2 chameleons got at it, and we want a good fight.
Respect to Charlo for being open about his struggles. Why not take a tune up fight before fighting Benavidez? I gotta favor the more active undefeated fighter. Will be a shocker if Charlo KOs Benavidez
You do know that Jose Benavidez Jr. is mediocre fighter right? The man isn’t even ranked top 15 contenders, but yet you make out like he is fighting David or some shit lmfao. Jermall acts like he was some big fighter on top of the sport. The man was never great. This fight could backfire on him especially with how long he was away from the sport almost 3 years. How can Jermall be the more active undefeated fighter when the man took his gloves and went home for 3 years? He fought nothing but bums when he was active. The man never fought anyone good.
50% of charlo on fight night can take benavidez out! Anything less, benavidez might have a chance!
Charlo sucks.no way he wins. Just another mismatched fight. Boxing sucks. That’s why boxers can’t even beat ufc fighters. And then they cheat
What are you on about? How is this a mismatch and how do boxers cheat against UFC fighters? Go help Dana get rich as his fighters make bottom of the barrel. Why do you think they are making crossover fights?
UFC fighters aren’t real boxers majority sucks in the sport because they have terrible stamina and skill for Boxing minus a select few who have maybe 1 or 2 big moments. None tends to make a big impact in the sport. UFC fighters tend to startup boxing at an older age as well. When real fighters or champions put off bigger and better fights to entertain what would be considered a rookie fight someone who has never fought professional boxing before 0-0 are usually called out by majority of the fan base for it. These are considered shit fights. I think Francis Ngannou got lucky with Tyson Fury. He’s not going to make it big. The greats fights for legacy and the money comes with the position but there are others who fight for just the cash and they become known as shit fighters.
Easy fight for a well prepared and fit Charlo, but is it the case ?!
Jermall Charlo should have been stripped of his titles two years ago for inactivity. He is not a champion. I don’t care what he says, he has yet to prove to me that he matters. I certainly wouldn’t pay money to see him fight, and I don’t consider him an elite fighter. Caleb Plant slapped the hell out of him, and exposed the fact that his head is in the clouds and his reaction time is severely diminished. He is damaged goods. I expect street and trash talking ignoramus Benavidez to take him to hell when they fight. It will be interesting to see how he responds. Like his brother, Jermall needs to do more and talk less. It’s clear that he and his brother are more about feeding hype and chasing money than anything else.
The Charlo twins are bums. They both never beat a great fighter in their careers. Jermell won titles from weak ass champions in weak weight classes. Canelo exposed him. Jermall too never fought a good fighter prior to his 3 year of inactivity despite being a champion. It’s sad that some fighters would rather fight bums in order to stay undefeated to gain some sort of recognition from the fan base then actually challenging bigger and better fighters for a legacy.
So what happened with RJJ? Now it’s Ronnie Shields? This guy should’ve been stripped ages ago and he’s not even defending his dusty belt this right here is insane. Yet Bud didn’t get a third of an opportunity. I’d sue the IBF because the other Charlo still has his belt and it’s been held hostage for over two years.
Mental Health is a big thing. Props to Charlo for being open about his issues. Now its time to get back to work. Hopefully, he’s looking for the bigger fights after he dispatches Benavidez. Lets keep the momentum of big match making going.