Trainer Malik Scott & former welterweight champion Shawn Porter believe that Jermell Charlo has a chance of unseating undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez on September 30th.
Jermell’s conditioning down the stretch and his ability to make adjustments give him a chance of winning against Canelo (59-2-2, 39 KOs), who has shown severe stamina problems in his last three fights.
Canelo’s knockouts have disappeared
The knockouts that Canelo had been routinely getting in 2021 when he captured the undisputed championship have dried up, and he’s been forced to go the full twelve round route in his last three fights.
Moreover, Canelo hasn’t looked anything like the fighter he was in 2021, and you got to wonder why. One reason Canelo hasn’t looked good in his last three fights is that he’s not facing the same level of opposition that he’d been fighting in 2021.
Back in 2021, Canelo fought these guys:
- Avni Yildirim
- Billy Joe Saunders
- Caleb Plant
You can argue that if Canelo were facing these guys this year, hi knockouts would have returned, and he’d look as good as he’d been in 2021.
Malik Scott: “You’d have to lean towards Canelo, but the comparison reminds me of Terry Norris, if he had a better chin, and he was fighting Julio Cesar Chavez,” said Malik to Shawn Porter’s Youtube channel.
“Stylistically, that’s what Canelo vs. Charlo reminds me of. So, advantage-wise, you have to go with Canelo, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Charlo gave him trouble, even late on. I don’t think he tires out.
Jermell with good preparation
“I think as the fight goes on, he [Jermell] gets stronger, and he still thinks very clearly in those rough & tough fights past the seventh, eighth, and ninth rounds. He’s got some incredible knockouts after the seventh, eighth, and ninth rounds.
“[Castano], he stopped him late, and he stopped [Tony] Harrison late. That goes to show that he’s very open-minded even late in those fights.”
Shawn Porter: “That fight [Brian Castano] was good for him ahead of a Canelo fight. In the first fight you can go back and watch, the first fight against Brian Castano, Jermell Charlo made zero adjustments.
“He went back to the corner a couple of times, and you could hear what Derrick James was saying. He’s giving you the game plan, and you’re just not running the plays.
“He squeaks by with a draw, and then he gives him an opportunity to go back to the gym to work eight, ten, however many weeks. You already tasted the speed, power, and movement.
“I think that fight worked for him ahead of a Canelo fight, but still, I’m wondering if you’re too far away from that fight now for that fight to be beneficial to you.”
Malik: “I just believe if he [Jermell] doesn’t make those in-the-ring adjustments on the night, I think it’s going to cost him big, especially against Canelo.”
Porter: “Canelo, if you’re playing one tune, he finds that tune quickly, and he’s kind of surgical, and he’ll break you down. He’ll break a lot of people down.”
Malik: “He doesn’t mind where he hits you at. He’ll hit you everywhere to get to what he really wants. If Charlo is intelligent enough, especially when the tough gets going. He gets tougher.
“I never see him break under pressure, and I think there’s going to be a pivotal moment in the fight where he’s going to feel something he’s never felt before. But I think he [Jermell] can pass the test with flying colors.
“As stubborn as he comes across outside of the ring, I believe his genius is all inside the ring. It’s never been a question when it comes to preparation for Charlo. It’s never been a question about his punch intake.
“It’s never been a question about any of those things. To me, he’s at the highest level he’s ever been, and if he’s able to adjust on the spot, I don’t see why he wouldn’t be able to give Canelo trouble. I just don’t. He’s been boxing bigger guys his whole career.
“When I say that, I’m saying in the gym. I know light heavyweights that have been sparring him, and they’re saying that he’s everything that he says he is. So we’ll see the night of.”
