Jermall Charlo held a rum punch in his hand as engaged in a celebratory toast.
It was not to memorialize the news of the biggest fight of his career, though; rather to enjoying life while and he and his family are on vacation in Turks and Caicos.
The unbeaten WBC middleweight titlist took a break from his current life at sea to refute any rumors that he is confirmed to next face undisputed super middleweight champion Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez.
“I haven’t even talked to Al Haymon since I last fought,” Charlo insisted in a Reel posted on his verified Instagram feed on Wednesday afternoon. “Everyone is like ‘You about to fight Canelo’… ain’t no confirmation. I’m in the islands somewhere.”
Charlo (33-0, 22KOs) specified that the video was in fact taken on Wednesday, as he and his family members wished each other a Happy Valentine’s Day.
Rumors have swirled for months of the potential matchup, with recent headlines suggesting the fight is now set to take place on May 4 in Las Vegas.
Guadalajara’s Alvarez (60-2-2, 39KOs) confirmed the date and city during an interview on Tuesday with TV Azteca in his native Mexico. He did not, however, reveal the opponent nor has the perceived leading candidate endorsed any such claims that he’s next in line.
“Until it’s official, it’s official,” insisted Charlo. “I offered. I said I would do whatever I gotta do. We was on the jet skis, I stopped for this.”
Charlo ended a 29-month ring hiatus with a ten-round decision win over Jose Benavidez Jr. last November 25 at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas. The fight took place above middleweight, though Charlo was still well beyond the contracted weight limit for their Showtime Pay-Per-View co-feature bout.
While he still holds the WBC middleweight title, Charlo has not fought at that weight since a June 2021 decision win over Juan Macias Montiel at Toyota Center in his hometown of Houston, Texas. The same venue was due to host a June 2022 title defense, but Charlo was forced to withdraw first due to injury and then remained out the ring for an extended mental health reset.
The only other candidate to emerge in the Canelo sweepstakes is Tijuana’s Jaime Munguia (43-0, 34KOs).
Alvarez indirectly ruled him out when he specified during Tuesday’s interview that his next opponent would not be a fellow Mexican. However, Boxing Scene has learned that talks are ongoing between their camps whether to meet later in the year or perhaps fast forward to the May 4 date if a deal can be reached in time.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. X (formerly Twitter): @JakeNDaBox