By: Sean Crose
“I’m excited and I’m ready for September 26,” said junior middleweight Jermell Charlo during a virtual workout on Tuesday. “This is the time to prevail and for me and my brother to be the Charlo Twins. It’s time to be the best Jermell Charlo.” The fighter was referring to his Pay Per View bout next Saturday against junior middleweight multi belt holder Jeison Rosario. The fight will be part of a Showtime and PBC doubleheader which will also feature Charlo’s brother, Jermall defending his middleweight title against Sergiy Derevyanchenko. “Fighting on SHOWTIME PPV is amazing,” Charlo stated. “This is the one. We have a hard fight and that’s all we ever wanted. This is a great challenge for us to overcome.”
Of course, Charlo made it clear he realizes these are unusual times. “This is a different kind of media day,” he said, acknowledging the strangeness of the boxing business during the pandemic, “but the real fight will be different also. When you’re a real champion, you make those adjustments. I’m used to fighting in front of a massive crowd, so it’s really important to show that we’re giving our all every day for our fans.” Charlo, who has but a single loss on his record, has avenged that loss by coming back to beat Tony Harrison, the man who originally defeated him. Still, that one loss continues to motivate Charlo.
Photos By Andrew Hemingway
“I bounced back from that loss in 2018 last year,” he claimed, “but there were still things I needed to learn and develop. We’re going to end 2020 with a bang. This is the Charlo show on SHOWTIME.” Like other fighters, Charlo decided to make the most of the pandemic that has plagued the sport, as well as much of the larger world. ““I used the pandemic to invest in myself and created a gym in my home,” said Charlo. “I’ve been getting in shape since it started. For this fight to be here in a week, I’m just more than prepared for it. I’m on weight and I’m hitting hard.”
Although he’s a well established figure in the fight game, Charlo still sees himself as a work in progress. “All I’m doing is continuing to grow as an individual every day,” he said. “We have to set our minds the right way and know how to roll with the punches. I’ve taken it upon myself to be even more dedicated and focused. Every time I feel pain, I think about all the other boxers out there pushing through pain. Now you see where we’re at because of it.”
“I’m even more dangerous than I was before,” he claimed. “I’m an old school fighter right here. I’ve been dedicated to this game and I’m not going anywhere. Stay out of my way, because I’m the man trucking things.”
