Bernard Hopkins believes Jermell Charlo has the skills, motivation, and youth to defeat Canelo Alvarez if the Mexican star doesn’t knock him out early.
Although the 33-year-old Jermell is the same age as Canelo, he looks like a younger guy and is still in the zenith of his career. In contrast, Canelo is on the downside, judging by his last three performances since 2022.
Some believe that the fights that Canelo had in 2021 took a lot out of him physically & mentally, and he’s been struggling ever since. Canelo can’t fight the way he’s looked recently against a talent like Jermell because he’ll work you over, and he won’t let up.
Bhop thinks that Jermell (35-1-1, 19 KOs) has the style to show the world that the long career of Canelo (59-2-1, 39 KOs) is at an end on September 30th, that it’s over for 33-year-old ‘Face of Boxing.’
If not for Canelo’s loss last year against Dmitry Bivol, fans & likely Hopkins would view his fight with Jermell as a sure-thing victory for him. Still, it’s impossible to erase the burned-in image of Alvarez receiving 100% schooling from the Russian fighter. It was so bad that Canelo didn’t even attempt to avenge his loss.
Bivol made Canelo look like a pupil who was being given a boxing lesson. The most disappointing thing about the performance from Canelo was how he failed to learn & adapt as the fight pressed on, and he looked as lost in the later rounds as he had at the beginning of the fight.
Is this the end for Canelo?
“His style is totally different from the styles that Canelo has fought.[Jermell is] younger, more determined to prove that Canelo’s time has been great, but it’s up,” said Bernard Hopkins to Fighthype about what Canelo Alvarez is up against fighting the motivated Jermell Charlo.
Jermell has the talent & ring IQ to defeat Canelo and make him look very, very old on September 30th. The thing is, Canelo is one of those Joe Dimaggio type of individuals who won’t be able to take looking bad in front of his fans in a losing effort.
Canelo has a lot of pride, and he’ll see the writing on the wall if he loses to Jermell. If Canelo can’t beat a guy coming up from 154, it would be obvious that he couldn’t hang with the top super middleweights, David Benavidez, Demetrius Andrade & David Morrell Jr. Those are the big three at 168 that Canelo must fear.
“Canelo will have to get him out of there early. The later the fight goes, the more Canelo will start showing not only his age,” said Hopkins.
“Canelo elevates Charlo. He has the skills, and if he maintains that mentality, it can be really a nightmare for Canelo, based on style,” said Hopkins.
