By: Hans Themistode
Jermell Charlo is simply watching the clock tick down at this point.
The unified 154-pound titlist is a mere days away from making history. This coming Saturday night on July 17th, Charlo will put his IBF, WBA, and WBC titles on the line against WBO belt holder, Brian Castaño.
For Houston’s Charlo, he’s anxious to enter boxing’s history books. As he continues to mentally prepare himself for his shining moment, he takes the time to reflect on just how special and rare becoming an undisputed world champion truly is.
“This is a huge fight for me,” said Charlo on a recent episode of ALL ACCESS. “I want to take this victory home, make history and become a legend in this sport. This is something that the great Floyd Mayweather hasn’t accomplished.”
While Mayweather went on to win world titles in five different weight classes and took down every opponent placed in front of him, the newly inducted Hall of Famer failed to become an undisputed world champion. If Charlo notches the win this Saturday night, not only would he become the first undisputed champion at 154 pounds since Winky Wright in 2004 but he would also become the first to accomplish the feat in the four-belt era.
Although Charlo is hungry to accomplish a lifelong dream, Castano won’t lay down for his highly-rated opponent. The Argentinian picked up the most impressive win of his career earlier this year, outpointing Patrick Teixeira to snag his first world title.
Currently, Charlo is pegged as a considerable favorite. Still, despite the public backing, the Houstonian doesn’t view Castaño as some pushover. Having watched some of his recent bouts, including his split decision draw against Erislandy Lara in 2019, Charlo is fully aware of the relentless pressure and volume attack that his man brings to the table.
In spite of that, Charlo appears unintimidated with the hard-hitting Argentinian. Regardless of whom is standing across the ring, Charlo will always back himself.
“I’m not underestimating nobody. I know for a fact what I have to deal with but I consider myself one of the best fighters on the planet.”