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By: Hans Themistode
Jermell Charlo has built a reputation as a pernicious puncher, superb boxer, world championship level talent, and one of the more vulgar trash talkers in the entire sport of boxing.
However, despite being ready, willing, and able to face anyone placed in front of him, Charlo is shying away from a potential showdown against fellow stablemate and close friend, Errol Spence Jr.
Just a few months ago, former undisputed heavyweight champion, Mike Tyson, made headlines when he attempted to put on his matchmaker cap.
“I wanna see Errol Spence go up to 154 and fight [Jermell] Charlo,” said Tyson on the Club Shay Shay podcast.
Spence Jr., a current unified champion at 147 pounds, just recently added a third welterweight title to his ever-growing collection. This past weekend, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, Spence Jr. fought Yordenis Ugas tooth and nail in front of a crowd of nearly 40,000.
While Spence Jr. was tested, he ultimately broke his man down in the later rounds, resulting in a 10th-round stoppage victory. With the powerful southpaw now angling for an undisputed showdown against Terence Crawford, the welterweight division’s lone remaining belt holder, Spence Jr. has revealed that win or lose, he plans on moving up to 154 pounds.
In doing so, Spence Jr. could be left with an intriguing choice. Currently, Charlo, like Spence Jr., holds three of the four major titles at 154 pounds. On May 14th, he could become the division’s first undisputed champion since Winky Wright in 2001, as he takes on WBO titlist, Brian Castano. Although Spence Jr. doesn’t have Charlo on his radar, he did admit that he would be willing to face his good friend. Provided, of course, the financial rewards made it worth his while.
“I think so,” said Spence Jr. on the DAZN Boxing Show when asked if he would be willing to fight Charlo. “If it makes sense money-wise.”
In addition to their close bond, a Spence Jr. vs. Charlo matchup faces another dilemma. With the pair being trained by Derrick James, it places another roadblock firmly in the way of their possible bout.
Pushing everything aside, Charlo appears poignant when discussing the possibility of facing a fighter he’s grown to love like a brother. Nevertheless, while a showdown against Spence Jr. isn’t something that Charlo is willing to pursue, if, for some reason, his bank account received a hefty payment, the unified 154 pounder will push their friendship aside.
“I have no intentions to fight my stablemate,” said Charlo to several reporters. “When you got an emotional attachment to somebody, that’s like me fighting my twin brother. But, like Spence said, if that mother f*cking money right and they putting that brick bread out there, we going to get in there with anybody. I can’t touch my brother but I mean, if they wanna f*cking pay me $50 million or some shit, let’s do it.”
