The announcement of Canelo Alvarez facing undisputed super welterweight champion Jermell Charlo on September 30 in Las Vegas instead of the WBC middleweight champion Jermall Charlo came as a surprise to many. Jermell will jump up two weight classes to challenge Canelo for the undisputed super middleweight championship and look to join Terence Crawford and Claressa Shields as the third boxer in the four-belt era to be undisputed in two different weight classes.
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It was originally reported that WBC middleweight champion Jermall Charlo was going to be the one to face Canelo. However, due to personal issues, the fight ended up going to his twin brother Jermell. There are concerns that Jermell may be biting off more than he can chew and Jermall was better suited for the opportunity to face Canelo.
But is that true?
Jermall Charlo’s record is a perfect 32-0 with 22 wins coming by way of knockout, while Jermell is 35-1-1 with 19 stoppage victories.
On the surface, it may be assumed that “Big Charlo” is the better of the two fighters. Jermall is undefeated, bigger, and has a higher knockout percentage at 68.8%. However, a look underneath the hood would suggest that Jermell is currently the more decorated fighter and deserves the opportunity to face Canelo.
Although Jermall is unbeaten, it can be argued that Jermell has faced better opposition with wins over Tony Harrison, Brian Castano, Jeison Rosario, Erickson Lubin, Vanes Martirosyan, and Austin Trout. Along the way, Charlo became the undisputed super welterweight champion. As for Jermall, his two biggest victories are against Sergiy Derevyanchenko and the previously undefeated Julian Williams. He also defeated Austin Trout before Jermell fought him. But his opposition at middleweight has been lacking, especially as of late.
Jermall’s inactivity has done the most damage. He hasn’t fought since 2021 when he scored a relatively underwhelming unanimous decision victory over Juan Macias Montiel. He has only fought seven times in six years while Jermell has competed nine times since 2017. Jermell’s last four fights (Castano 2x, Rosario, and Harrison) overshadow Jermall’s last four opponents (Montiel, Derevyanchenko, Dennis Hogan and Brandon Adams). And in a “what have you done for me lately” business, Jermell’s accomplishments overshadow those of his twin brother.
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It’s also important to note that while Jermall has a higher knockout percentage, Jermell has demonstrated significant finishing prowess over the past eight years. Since 2015, eight of Jermell’s nine victories have come by way of knockout. The two blemishes on his record — a decision loss to Harrison in 2018 and a draw to Castano in 2021 — were both avenged with knockouts. As for Jermall, only four of his last nine victories have ended by knockout.
Jermell is simply peaking at the right time.
Jermall has 32 fights and has fought a total of 171 rounds while Jermell has 37 fights and 256 total rounds. The experience lies with Jermell and his status as an undisputed champion gives him the edge over his twin brother in the accolade department.
The biggest concern is the weight. Jermall has campaigned at 160 pounds since 2017 while Jermell has spent his entire career at 154 pounds. A move up one weight class (8 pounds) doesn’t seem too daunting but 14 pounds sounds like a significant amount of weight. However, the reality is that Jermell is a gigantic super welterweight as he stands six feet tall and has been documented as having to shed a lot of pounds to squeeze into the weight class. It’s very likely that Jermell would have campaigned at 160 pounds if his brother wasn’t there already.
Canelo only stands at 5’8” and is giving up height to both fighters. If Jermell has had difficulty cutting, the move up to super middleweight may serve him right for this particular fight.
What it really boils down to is that Jermell has been more active than Jermall and his activity has allowed him to showcase some improvement in his skillset over the past few years. The personal issues that have been ailing Jermall have stunted his growth as a fighter. Hopefully, these issues will eventually be put into the rearview mirror and Jermall can continue his career.
As of right now, Jermell is the better boxer.
