Jermell Charlo will be stripped of his WBA title and given the ‘Champion in Recess’ tag by the sanctioning body. With Jermell being stripped, the former undisputed 154-lb champion is down to just his WBC belt, and who knows how long he’ll hold onto that last remaining belt?
Vacant WBA Title up for Grabs
Israil Madrimov and Magomed Kurbanov will fight over the vacant WBA 154-lb title on the Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou card on March 8th at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Dan Rafael reports that the WBA voted to relieve Jermell of his title and give him the ‘Champion in Recess’ designation for their 154-lb title. It’s a long overdue move on the World Boxing Association, as Jermell had never defended his WBA title against challengers since capturing it four years ago in 2020 against Jeison Rosario.
Although Jermell had fought WBO 154-lb champion Brian Castano twice after capturing the WBA title, those were unification matches and not title defenses for him.
Charlo’s Uncertain Path Forward
It’s unclear whether the 33-year-old Jermell will choose to fight for his WBA title if he does return to the ring.
Right now, it’s unknown if Charlo will fight again or not after getting a big payday in his one-sided 12-round unanimous decision loss last September. Jermell made millions for the fight and can certainly retire on his earnings if he chooses.
Some would argue that Jermell hasn’t shown much ambition since his win over Jeison Rosario in 2020. Jermell took the two fights against Brian Castano, with many believing that he deserved a loss in their first clash in July 2021 in San Antonio, Texas.
The judges scored it a 12 round draw, but it looked a clear win by Castano. In the rematch in May 2022, Jermell stopped Castano in the tenth round in Carson, California.
Madrimov vs. Kurbanov: A Battle for Supremacy
#1 WBA Madrimov (9-0-1, 6 KOs) and #2 Kurbanov (25-0, 13 KOs) will be battling on the Joshua-Ngannou card and should be an interesting fight for as long as it lasts.
“WBA voting is done & Jermell Charlo has been relieved of 154 belt & made “champion in recess.” Madrimov-Kurbanov on Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou PPV is for WBA 154-lb title vacant title. Winner must face Charlo when he returns if he wants fight. Charlo, once 4-belt undisputed, has no more alphabet belts,” said Dan Rafael on X.