Antonio Tarver says Jermell Charlo’s best & only chance of defeating IBF/WBA/WBC/WBO super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez tonight is to start fast and knock him out within six rounds. Tarver feels that if Jermell (35-1-1, 19 KOs) doesn’t get to Canelo (59-2-2, 39 KOs) by the sixth, the experience of the Mexican star will take over, and he’ll cruise to a victory.
It’s going to be tough for Jermell to knockout Canelo in the first six rounds, considering that he’s never been stopped before in his 63-fight professional career. Jermell had problems stopping Brian Castano & Tony Harrison, and those guys aren’t at Canelo’s level.
Charlo, having been out of the ring for nearly two years, obviously won’t help him tonight. He’s been slow in healing from a broken hand, and some feel that Jermell has been enjoying the money he’s made a little too much.
The videos of Jermell hanging out by the pool obviously didn’t help, as made it look like he wasn’t anxious to return to the ring.
Luckily for Jermell, Canelo chose to give him a fight, but the downside is that he’s been out of the ring for ages, and he’s moving up two weight classes. Jermell’s payday is assured, but winning is a different story.
“I think this fight is going to be up for grabs early. If Charlo is going to win this thing, I think he going to have to do it under six, and I think after that, Canelo’s experience from six on take over, and I think I see him starting to touch Jermell a little bit,” said Antonio Tarver to Fight Hub TV, saying that Jermell Charlo must get to Canelo Alvarez early for him to win tonight.
“7, 8, and I’m thinking Canelo, if I’m going give a prediction, under 10. That’s my prediction.”
Jermell isn’t likely to be able to hang with Canelo for more than a couple of rounds before he takes over and starts walking him down like he did in his last two fights against John Ryder and Gennady Golovkin.
“No, because if you saw the weigh-in, he looked very comfortable in his skin, and if he went up two weight classes and looked like that, you can understand how much and how bad he was draining himself at 54,” said Tarver.
“So, believe it or not, he may be more comfortable at this weight class,” Tarver said about Jermell. “He’s going to have to find some more power. He hit guys sometimes with one punch; you saw that against Lubin.
“I think if that happens, it’s under six. Like I said, it’s anybody fight in the first six rounds, but after that, it really settles in, and I think experience takes over.
“He’s a great trainer [Joan Guzman], and I love what I see him working with Jermell on, but again. They say once you get hit, you go back to what you’re accustomed to doing.
“I hope that’s not the case. If that happens, then you can go with Canelo all night, but if Jermell is able to stay focused, stay ahead, and stay out front for the duration of this fight, we could still see an upset.
“But he’s going to have to have the poise, the patience of a Bivol of a Mayweather, and that’s something we haven’t seen him do yet. But that don’t mean he can’t do it.
“That’s why we go to training camp to work on things like this and get better, but if I would have been in training camp to see it for myself, I would have a more definite idea about what’s going to happen tomorrow night,” said Tarver.
