NEW YORK — It should have a been a clean sweep for the Charlo twins in Brooklyn.
Jermall Charlo scored a unanimous decision (119-108, 116-112, 116-112) over Matt Korobov to retain his WBC interim middleweight championship in the main event of the twins' co-headlining card at Barclays Center on Saturday night. He's the only Charlo headed back to Houston with a title in tow.
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That's because, in the co-main event, judges inexplicably awarded a unanimous decision to Tony Harrison over Jermell Charlo (116-112, 115-113, 115-113) to win the WBC super welterweight title in a fight that Jermell clearly did enough to win. If Charlo had won the fight by the same scores, it would have made sense. Giving the nod to Harrison was shocking. The Brooklyn crowd and fans on Twitter erupted in anger over the decision, with Barclays booing the verdict. It was another black eye for boxing and yet another example of judges scoring a fight wrong.
After walking Harrison down for a majority of the rounds, Jermell Charlo clearly felt as though he was robbed of the title and said as much in the ring during his postfight interview.
"They took that fight from me. I was pressing the action. (Harrison) didn't win that fight," Charlo said. "I’m going to get my belts back. I still want Jarrett Hurd. I know my brother knows I won that fight. I might have given away a few rounds, but I won that fight.”
After watching his brother get screwed out of the decision — and title — Jermall looked glum entering the ring for his own title defense, but he still managed to put together a winning unanimous decision victory over a game Korobov. The win was highlighted by a 12th round in which Charlo was all over Korobov, punishing him with everything from left hooks to a three-punch combo to end the fight.
Still, despite the successful title defense, Jermall's night was bittersweet courtesy of the judges' unanimous decision against his brother.
"I used everything that happened tonight as motivation in the 12th round," Jermall said during his postfight interview. "I haven't been that far in a fight in a couple of years. It felt good to be in there, get hit and bang with someone. He was an experienced guy who will make me better."
He added about his twin brother: "I felt like Jermell made his fight harder than it was. I had a really tough opponent, but he wasn't better than me. There was a lot on my mind in the ring."
MORE: Charlo brothers face must-win situations
Here's how the Charlos' co-headlining card went. (All times Eastern.)
Jermall Charlo retains WBC interim middleweight title via unanimous decision (119-108, 116-112, 116-112)
Round 12: Korobov and Charlo exchange shots, catching each other on the chin. Charlo rocks Korobov and the challenger is hurt, stumbling back, but manages to stay on his feet. Charlo smells blood and is pouncing on Korobov, pouring on the pain. Charlo doubles up on his left hook and could finish Korobov. But Korobov fights back with two left jabs that land flush. Charlo charges back with a three-punch combination to end the fight. The two embrace after a scrappy 36 minutes. Sporting News has this one 116-112 in favor of Jermall, but then again, we had it by the same score going to Jermell ... and we know how that turned out. Let's see how judges score this one. (116-112)
Round 11: Another left hook to open the round by Charlo, but moments later, Korobov answers with a punishing left hook, sending the champ's spit flying out of his mouth. Korobov lands what could be the stiffest punch of the fight, rocking Charlo with a left hook. But Charlo doesn't budge, showing a champ's chin. Entering the 12th and final round, this fight is a lot closer than the co-main event was, but Charlo is doing enough to win. After the last decision, though, who knows? (106-103)
Round 10: Charlo comes out ultra-aggressive, landing a left hook. He doesn't want to leave this fight in the judges' hands and seems to be picking up his pace as effectively as he can. Charlo rocks Korobov's head back with a right jab toward the end of the round, as the highlight of these three minutes. We have Charlo up 97-93 but wouldn't be mad if you have it tighter. (97-93 Charlo)
Round 9: Korobov with another strong left, but Charlo returns fire with a sweeping right uppercut followed by a left jab to pop the Russian's head back. Charlo doubles up on his left jab before working in that right. A rare right hand lands for Korobov, but the champ is right back to pumping that jab. Korobov lands a left hook to Charlo's body, but Charlo just shook it off. (87-84 Charlo)
10:48 p.m.: A fight between a few fans in the crowd just now has drawn the loudest pop tonight.
Round 8: Korobov's right eye seems to be slowly closing as Charlo continues pumping that right hand. Korobov does land a powerful left, but Charlo is right back to sticking the challenger with more rights. (77-75 Charlo)
Round 7: Charlo is picking up where he left off, asserting and landing that right hand repeatedly. But for every few rights that Charlo lands, Korobov sticks in that sneaky left to sting the champ. Charlo keeps pumping a left lightly to gauge his distance, before putting full force behind his right. And it's working well. Still, the crowd here is begging for more action, letting Charlo know it with boos. (67-66 Charlo)
Round 6: A lunging right hook to the body lands for Charlo and he follows that up with two rights moments later. Charlo with a pair of combinations to drive Korobov back against the ropes. Korobov has gambled, leaving his feet with some wild hook attempts, but Charlo hasn't taken advantage with a counter. Charlo's right hand is finding a home as he has landed the jab several times in this round. Charlo takes this round. We have it knotted up through six but wonder if fatigue is setting in for the 35-year-old Korobov. He looked a bit tired at the end of the round. (57-57)
Round 5: Charlo lands a shot to start the fifth, briefly sparking a firefight before the two boxers open up a bit of real estate for themselves. The action is heating up as urgency is beginning to set in for each fighter. You can see it. Korobov checks Charlo's chin with a left hook, but don't sleep on the effect that the champ's body shots are having. (48-47 Korobov)
Round 4: Charlo lands a left sweeping uppercut to the body, following it moments later with a left to the chin, but Korobov comes back with a right. This is a good fight so far. Both Charlo and Korobov are moving well. (38-38)
Round 3: Charlo's left jab seems to be an effective weapon. Let's see if Charlo utilizes it more. Korobov brushes Charlo back with a powerful left hand, but the champ keeps coming forward. Jermall with a thudding left to the body. More shots like that are going to take their toll. Charlo back to the left jab, landing a combo, but Korobov lands a right flush on the champ's chin to steal the round. Remember, Korobov stepped into the main event after Willie Monroe Jr. failed a drug test. Like Monroe, Korobov is a southpaw. (29-28 Korobov)
Round 2: Charlo is opening up the offense, letting a left uppercut fly. He didn't land the punch but is getting more comfortable letting his hands go and you can see it. Korobov with a solid left hook, but Charlo knocks him back with a right jab moments later. Korobov comes right back with some stinging shots to which Charlo shakes his head. Knowing his brother was screwed out of a victory, you've got to wonder if Charlo will go for the KO to make sure this one doesn't fall in the judges' hands. (19-19)
Round 1: Charlo and Korobov feel each other out for most of the opening round with the champ being more of the aggressor. (10-9 Charlo)
10:13 p.m.: The champ is here. Jermall Charlo enters the ring with a glum look on his face. You’ve got to wonder how much his twin brother, Jermell, losing will affect him, or will he use that as motivation to flatten Korobov? The main event is about to begin.
10:11 p.m.: Korobov hits the ring to “Eye of the Tiger.”
10:09 p.m.: After getting robbed of the title, Charlo said in the ring: “They took that fight from me. I was pressing the action. He didn’t win that fight. I’m going to get my belts back. I still want Jarrett Hurd. I know my brother knows I won that fight. I might have given away a few rounds, but I won that fight.”
Meanwhile, Harrison ran with the decision, saying: "I dictated the pace. That's what champions do. He wound up for big shots and I kept my defense tight. All we worked on was defense. I kept my composure and I did what champions do."
10:05 p.m.: The crowd here is still on edge, reeling from that horrible, inexplicable unanimous decision in favor of Harrison. Was that Jermell Charlo’s best performance? Not by a long shot. Did he do enough to win comfortably and take his title back to Houston? Without a doubt. One of boxing’s biggest problems continues to rear its ugly head, as yet another decision wasn’t awarded to the right fighter. Jermall watched the unanimous decision handed to Harrison from backstage and now has to defend his WBC interim middleweight title against Matt Korobov.
10:01 p.m.: Unreal! I don't know how in the world the judges scored it for Harrison. I think a split decision for Harrison would have been a stretch, but a unanimous decision in his favor? I didn't see anything close to that at all. Jermell Charlo won the fight and the crowd here at Barclays Center apparently agrees; it's booing this decision.
Tony Harrison edges Jermell Charlo by unanimous decision to win the WBC super welterweight title (116-112, 115-113, 115-113)
Round 12: A solid left jab finds its mark and Charlo is pouncing on Harrison now, landing a solid left hook to knock the challenger back into the ropes. He's every bit the lion, with Harrison, his prey, seemingly holding on at this point. Charlo misses with a left cross but sticks a right hand. Harrison with a combo to the body with about 20 seconds left, but it's too little, too late. Charlo ends the bout with a flurry. Harrison once again proves to be a scrappy, game challenger but one who didn't do nearly enough to win this bout. Sporting News has Charlo winning it to retain his strap by the score of 116-112. Let's see how the judges score it. (116-112 Charlo).
Round 11: Charlo continues moving forward and has done so in nearly every round of this fight. He lands a lunging right, making Harrison backpedal, which sparks a big pop from the crowd. Moments later, Charlo adds a left hook to Harrison's chest, pressing him up against the ropes. Charlo hasn't landed the power punch of his liking, but he has been in control of this fight for the majority of rounds as he enters the 12th and final. (106-103 Charlo)
Round 10: You could see Charlo waiting patiently to put together a signature punch for this fight, but the problem is it's the 10th round. Meanwhile, Harrison just isn't consistent enough at this point. "Iron Man" takes the 10th, landing a solid right with under 30 seconds left in the round and still very much walking Harrison down. (96-94 Charlo)
Round 9: Harrison lands a right during an exchange, with Charlo dropping both gloves and shrugging his shoulders to tell his challenger that he didn't do much right there. Harrison, though, pumped the jab well a few more times to take the round. (86-85 Charlo)
Round 8: Charlo starts the round wisely returning to his left jab. Harrison throws a flurry of punches that Charlo deflects well seconds later. Both boxers punch at the same time, with Harrison landing a right. But the champ answers back with a left. Harrison just isn't stepping into his punches this round. Charlo is back to being the aggressor. (77-75 Charlo)
Round 7: Jermell looks every bit of a lion, pouncing on Harrison during the early moments of the round, before Harrison lands two stiff jabs to keep the champ back at bay. Charlo had Harrison backpedaling for a bulk of that round. Let's see if Harrison can bounce back in the eighth. (67-66 Charlo)
Round 6: Nice combo from Harrison midway into the round. He follows that up with a left to the body, bouncing Charlo back. And a left jab lands clean for Harrison, too. Pretty even through six. Remember, both are hungry for a shot against IBF/WBA junior middleweight champion Jarrett Hurd, making this bout crucial. (57-57)
Round 5: Harrison rocks Charlo with a sneaky right hand, drawing a smile from the champ as if to say it didn't faze him. Charlo lands a crunching left hook moments later. Just when it looked like it was going to be Harrison's round, Charlo sneaked in a thudding right hand to take the frame. (48-47 Charlo)
Round 4: There's that scrappiness that we've come to know and expect from Harrison. He's becoming a much busier boxer, throwing more punches as this bout progresses. Nice lunging left jab to end the round. (38-38)
Round 3: Two left jabs opens up a left and right hook for Charlo. Harrison puts together a combo to the body, but it seems like it didn't do much damage, if any. Harrison finding a way to work in the jab, which leads to landing a left hook to end the round. He takes this round by a slim margin. (29-28 Charlo)
Round 2: "Iron Man" opens the round with a flurry of punches, looking every bit in control as could be. Aside from a right jab, Harrison hasn't managed to mount any sticking offense thus far. It's early and both boxers are still feeling each other out, but Charlo has been walking Harrison down through two. (20-18 Charlo)
Round 1: Jermell Charlo lands a clean right hand as the first punch with something behind it. The champ tries for a lunging right hand a minute later, but Harrison did a good job evading it. The end of that first round saw Charlo asserting a left jab — something to keep an eye on as this match progresses. (10-9 Charlo)
9:04 p.m.: Here comes WBC super welterweight champion Jermell Charlo, donning the lion head out to the ring as a nod to he and his brother’s “#LionsOnly” motto. This co-main event is about to start.
9:02 p.m.: Tony Harrison out to the ring to the sounds of Meek Mill’s “What’s Free.”
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Dominic Breazeale pulverizes Carlos Negron with ninth-round KO
9 p.m.: Breazeale just said that his KO secured his shot against Wilder, who is in the house. "The Bronze Bomber" looks rather unbothered.
8:53 p.m.: Whoa! Breazeale with a vicious right hand, dropping Negron to the canvas 1:37 into the ninth round. This one is over! Negron spun around and landed on his knees. There was no way Negron was going to get up from that.
8:51 p.m.: Both boxers complaining to the ref about rabbit punches, but Breazeale got the better of exchanges inside during that eighth round.
8:39 p.m.: Halfway through this 10-round bout, we have Breazeale up 48-47.
8:35 p.m.: Negron rips Breazeale to the body, but Breazeale responds with a thunderous right hand at the sound of the fourth-round bell.
8:31 p.m.: Negron's momentum led him to follow through with a combination after the third-round bell, as he had Breazeale up against the ropes. Breazeale responded with a blatant after-the-bell left hand. The ref warned both as they touched gloves. This is heating up.
8:24 p.m.: Negron just tripped over his feet to begin the second round. Awkward. He makes up for it by landing some clean jabs moments later.
8:22 p.m.: Breazeale making it a point to end his combos to the body to open the fight.
8:14 p.m.: Breazeale making his way to the ring to the sounds of 2Pac's "All Eyez On Me."
8:13 p.m.: The bright lights are on here at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, with the main card beginning with a heavyweight tilt between Dominic Breazeale and Carlos Negron. First out to the ring is Negron. Breazeale (19-1, 17 KOs) is the mandatory challenger for Deontay Wilder's WBC heavyweight championship. Breazeale told Sporting News earlier this week that he thinks "The Bronze Bomber" is an "A-B-C fighter" who is only capable of throwing one-two combos — ending them with his right hand — over and over. Perhaps a win over Negron tonight would bring Breazeale one step closer to a fight with Wilder.
7:55 p.m.: Tonight's main card is just a few minutes away from starting.
7:15 p.m.: The rather scarce crowd during undercard action just came alive here at Barclays Center in Brooklyn as WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder made his way into the arena.
He’s home! 💣
— Brooklyn Boxing (@Brooklyn_Boxing) December 23, 2018
— @BronzeBomber — @barclayscenter
💥 #BombZquad pic.twitter.com/1mD0hgEWNa
Main card results
Jermall Charlo def. Matt Korobov via unanimous decision to retain WBC interim middleweight title (main event).
Tony Harrison def. Jermell Charlo by unanimous decision to win the WBC junior middleweight title (co-main event).
Dominic Breazeale def. Carlos Negron by ninth-round KO; heavyweights.
Charlo vs. Harrison, Charlo vs. Korobov latest news
— The co-headlining champion Charlo twins must win their setup fights Saturday night to open up greater opportunities.
— Houston rapper Paul Wall interviews the Charlo twins for Sporting News .
— Matt Korobov replaces Willie Monroe Jr. as Jermall Charlo's opponent after Monroe fails a drug test.
— How to watch and live-stream Charlo vs. Korobov, Charlo vs. Harrison.
— Dominic Breazeale is eyeing a win over Carlos Negron on Saturday night to bring him one step closer to a fight with Deontay Wilder .
