NEW YORK – Jermell Charlo considers it “f—– up” that the WBO will strip him of its junior middleweight title the second the bell rings for his fight against undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez.
Charlo, boxing’s first fully unified 154-pound champion of the four-belt era, intends to return to that division. He’ll have to do so without one of the four titles he earned in the ring, however, because the WBO informed Charlo recently that it will elevate Tim Tszyu from interim champion to full champion once Charlo challenges Alvarez for the Mexican superstar’s IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO 168-pound championships September 30 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The WBO could’ve stripped Charlo before he enters the ring to battle Alvarez. By allowing him to keep its junior middleweight title until September 30, though, their Showtime Pay-Per-View main event can be billed as “undisputed versus undisputed.”
The WBO cited its rules as the San Juan, Puerto Rico-based sanctioning organization’s impetus for promoting Tszyu, who has long been its mandatory challenger for one of Charlo’s championships. They were scheduled to box January 28 in Las Vegas, but Charlo fractured two bones in his left hand during a sparring session a few days before last Christmas.
Their fight was supposed to be rescheduled, but Charlo understandably opted to face Alvarez for much more money. Charlo likely would have to fight Alvarez twice at the 168-pound limit if he wins next month because Alvarez has a rematch clause in his contract.
Charlo still can’t comprehend why the WBO wouldn’t allow him to keep its 154-pound championship while he chases greatness against Alvarez.
“I think it’s unfair,” Charlo told a group of reporters Tuesday following a press conference at Palladium Times Square. “You know, the WBO been at my neck for a very long time. When I injured my hand, they was, ‘Hey, you need to submit this.’ I’m going back and forth to the doctors, having to do f—— CAT scans and MRIs and all kinda sh!t. And like they didn’t believe it at first, bro. Somebody else get hurt or somethin’ and they just allow the sh!t to be what it is.
“So, I feel like if they really cared or really if they rocked with me, they would take my X-rays and MRIs and all of that and assess it themselves, instead of tryin’ to like hassle a dude. You know what I mean? So, I feel like it’s cool, whatever. I’m still undisputed, no matter what. I’m undisputed to my children, I’m undisputed to my family, I’m undisputed to the boxing world. And that’s it. I’m cool with that.”
Tszyu (23-0, 17 KOs) won the WBO interim junior middleweight title when he stopped former WBC champ Tony Harrison (29-4-1, 21 KOs) in the ninth round March 12 at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia, Tszyu’s hometown. Three months later, Tszyu defended that interim championship by knocking out Mexico’s Carlos Ocampo (35-3, 23 KOs) in the first round of their June 18 bout at Gold Coast Convention Centre in Broadbeach, Australia.
The WBO belt was the last 154-pound title Charlo won to become the division’s undisputed champion 15 months ago. The Houston native is a two-time WBC champ and also owned the IBF and WBA titles when he knocked out Argentina’s Brian Castano in the 10th round of their rematch to capture the WBO crown in May 2022 at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.
The 33-year-old Charlo paid sizable sanctioning fees to the WBO for his two fights with Castano, the first of which resulted in a 12-round split draw in July 2021 at AT&T Center in San Antonio.
Charlo is expected to pay another three percent of his seven-figure purse to the WBO for his fight versus Alvarez, who is regularly listed as a 4-1 favorite. Unless they strike individual deals with the IBF, WBA, WBC and/or WBO, Alvarez (59-2-2, 39 KOs) and Charlo (35-1-1, 19 KOs) will pay 12 percent of their respective purses in sanctioning fees for the right to either remain or become boxing’s undisputed super middleweight champion.
“And I pay my fees,” Charlo pointed out. “Hey, I pay my fee to ‘em and I treat them good, and if they ever needed something from me, I’ll be there for ‘em.”
That’s what makes it even harder for Charlo to accept losing his WBO junior middleweight title without having had an opportunity to defend it.
“I don’t know, bro,” Charlo said. “They got they own favoritism. Everybody do, just like half of you writers that got y’all favoritism. It’s cool. I ain’t trippin’ on that. I can’t be here fightin’ wit’ all y’all. I can only fight one person. You know what I’m sayin’? So, I’m just gonna give the writers they respect. I hope that y’all, you know, change the narrative from the old way that y’all thought about the Charlo twins to realizin’ and separatin’ me from my brother, and separatin’ me.
“I’m Jermell Charlo … now I’m fightin’ for undisputed, [going up] two weight divisions. So, you should get the best of me. You know what I’m saying? And be proud of what I’m doing, instead of all that hatin’ and knockin’ me. I shoulda been on the pound-for-pound list. For anybody that don’t have me on it, I shoulda been on it.”
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.