By: Hans Themistode
One title has never been enough for WBC Jr middleweight belt holder Jermell Charlo. For years, he begged for a showdown with WBA/IBF champ Jarrett Hurd and seemed to be on his way to having his wish granted.
Yet, as fate would have it, their showdown was not meant to be. Charlo suffered a surprise loss to Tony Harrison while Hurd took one on the chin against Julian Williams. Charlo however, would go on to grab his title back from Harrison and immediately set his sights on Williams. But once again, fate stepped in as Jeison Rosario snatched the titles from him earlier this year.
With the IBF and WBA titles going from fighter to fighter like a carousel, Charlo is hoping that he’ll be next to claim them as he and Rosario are headed towards a showdown.
According to Steve Kim of ESPN, Rosario’s request to bypass his mandatory and jump straight into a unification matchup with Charlo was accepted by the IBF. Sources have also told Kim that negotiations are moving along in a positive direction and the contest is being targeted for late September.
For Charlo, news of a showdown with Rosario is music to his ears. Since the unified champion placed himself on the map with his fifth round pounding over Julian Williams, Charlo was the first person to raise his hand to be his next opponent.
Any thoughts of a competitive matchup between the two will be laughable to Charlo. Once the pair step inside of the ring together, he is expecting one way traffic.
“I’m here to eat,” said Charlo to Ray Flores of Premier Boxing Champions several months ago. “If he’s in the way then he’s getting trucked. It’s been a dream to get all of the belts.”
Pre-fight trash talk is something that Charlo has always excelled in, but as for Rosario, he showed no interest in puffing out his chest and making threats to Charlo several months ago. He simply wants to step inside of the ring and prove who is the best fighter in the Jr middleweight division.
“I want to unify the 154-pound division,” said Rosario to Ray Flores several months ago. “My objective, if I have my choice, is Jermell Charlo. He is the best in the division, and I want to prove that I am truly the best at 154.”