By: Sean Crose
The 33-1 Jermell Charlo faced off against the 20-1-1 Jeison Rosario for the WBA, WBC, and IBF super welterweight titles at the Mohegan Sun Casino Arena on Saturday night. The fight was presented by Premiere Boxing Champions and was a co-main event aired live by Showtime pay per view. Charlo dropped his man in the first. Rosario got up quickly, but it was an alarming start.
The second was a rough, hard hitting affair for both fighters. Rosario walked his man down – with some success – during the third. Rosario performed well again in the fourth, while Charlo tried to pick his shots. By the fifth round, the fight was in a pattern – Rosario on offense, Charlo on defense. The sixth saw Charlo drop Rosario for the second time – this after slipping this jab through Rosario’s guard throughout the round. Rosario got up to beat the count, but was clearly not in great shape.
Rosario had composed himself by the seventh, but Charlo’s smart punching – particularly his jab – was telling the tale. Then, at the beginning of the eighth, Charlo dropped Rosario with a jab to the midsection. Rosario fell to the mat and gasped oddly, as if he were a fish that suddenly found himself on shore.
The defending champion couldn’t beat the count.