WBC middleweight champion Jermall Charlo sounded like a politician on Wednesday, dodging questions on WHY he’s not fighting David Benavidez.
Jermall (32-0, 22 KOs) had hoped to talk mostly about his upcoming June 18th title defense against #5 WBC Sulecki (30-2, 11 KOs) on Showtime Championship Boxing at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
Unfortunately for Jermall, he kept getting asked about the talented #1 WBC super middleweight contender David Benavidez (26-0, 23 KOs), who has repeatedly called him out, daring him to come up to 168 to face him.
Even Canelo Alvarez said that if Benavidez, Jermall, and Caleb Plant fight, he’ll face the winner.
It appears that Jermall isn’t interested in fighting those guys to earn the fight with Canelo, and wants to jump straight into that fight next year after he deals with Gennadiy Golovkin and Dmitry Bivol rematches.
Jim Conlan: “Jermall, in the lead up to this fight, David Benavidez has a lot to say about yourself and Caleb Plant. Everyone he feels is trying to duck him and avoid him and are kind of scared to take him on. People are looking to take the easy options and no one wants to face him. How do you respond to that?”
Jermall Charlo: “I’m focused on Sulecki. He’s not an easy fight, he’s not an easy option. So we’ll get in and make war out of it. I’m looking for a great fight, and a great night of boxing,” said Jermall Charlo when asked during Wednesday’s press conference why he’s not fighting David Benavidez.
Brian Custer: “Jermall, I was reading about this fight and it seems like a number of people have written, and this is no disrespect to Maciej [Sulecki] at all. It says, ‘Why is Charlo taking these fights and not taking on more high-profile fights, especially in his prime?’
“How do you respond to that criticism, Jermall? It seems like people want to see you in these big-time fights, where it’s Benavidez or whomever, and they’re saying, ‘Why are you fighting Sulecki?'”
Jermall: “Sulecki is a good challenger. A lot of people might not know him. He’s a foreigner, but he’s a good challenger, and he’s been in with some top competition. Jacobs, he lost. Demetrius Andrade, he lost. Those people use him as a stepping stone.
“At this time, Canelo has another fight scheduled with Golovkin, and Benavidez just fought, so he’s still on suspension. It’s perfect timing right now to get in with a guy that is a good challenger like Sulecki. They all talk until they get in there. Once they feel the power and the aggression, he’s going to have to survive. He looks like he’s going to make out to be a good fight.”
