Undisputed junior middleweight champ Jermell Charlo has broken his hand while in training. What this means, of course, is that the much hyped January 28th battle between Charlo and popular undefeated contender Tim Tszyu is postponed. Although this clearly isn’t good news for the fans, Charlo has made it a point to explain the situation.
“I was sparring,” he said, “and I threw this nice punch and as soon as it landed, I knew something was wrong. I felt my hand throbbing right away. I had two X-rays and an MRI to see what was wrong. It showed it was broken in two places. I hate this feeling. My hand will be in a cast for two months. I’m as disappointed as the fans, maybe more, because this was my first chance to defend the undisputed title.”
Still, the 35-1-1 Charlo continued to express confidence. “The way I am, I would have beaten Tim Tszyu with one hand,” he continued, “but the doctors and the boxing commission won’t allow that. It’s even more dangerous when a lion faces adversity and has to come back to defend the pride. I’ve been training since July, and I’ve been hitting harder than ever, and these are the things that happen when you push yourself to the limits. After my hand heals, I’m coming back stronger than ever to defend my legacy.’’
The 21-0 Tszyu weighed in, expressing frustration but also understanding regarding the situation. “I’m very disappointed,” Tszyu said. “I felt like the stars aligned for undisputed…but we move on. I’m ready to take on the next mandatory challenger. I’ll be back for Charlo once he is ready and healed.” While the two men will no longer be squaring off on the 28th of January, a later date will hopefully fall in line, as each fighter appears to be very well matched against the other.
“Undisputed 154-lb World Champ @TwinCharlo suffered a broken left hand in training and his much-anticipated, high-stakes defense against No. 1 contender @Tim_Tszyu, which was scheduled for 1/28, has been postponed. New date to be announced soon,” posted Premier Boxing Champions.