The former undisputed junior middleweight champion Jermell Charlo revealed today that he’s returning to the ring after a two-year layoff.
In a post on social media. The now 35-year-old Charlo (35-2-1, 19 KOs) said, “No friends in the industry. Fight date coming.”
Lion and Shark Image
The addition of a picture of a lion with a shark in its mouth has fans guessing that Jermell could be planning to fight Errol Spence, a fighter with whom he was friends and shared the same trainer, Derrick James.
The picture of a shark is a big hint that Charlo will be fighting Spence, who hasn’t fought since losing to Terence Crawford by a ninth-round knockout on July 29, 2023. It’s questionable how much Spence has left after the layoff, the beating at the hands of Crawford, and the terrifying car crash he was involved in on October 10, 2019, in Dallas, Texas.
Charlo last fought on September 23, 2023, losing to IBF, WBC, and WBO junior middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez in Las Vegas. Canelo beat him by a 12-round unanimous decision by the scores 118-109, 118-109, and 119-108.
Fans’ Anger Over Canelo Fight
It wasn’t a competitive fight, as Jermell spent most of the contest moving around, avoiding exchanges with Canelo. The lack of effort on Charlo’s part to try and win angered fans, who felt that they’d gotten little value for the money they spent ordering the event on PPV.
Jermell’s decision to sit out for two years will make it difficult to sell a fight on PPV against Spence or anyone. Ideally, Charlo should have returned to the ring in 2024 and resumed his career. He still held his IBF and WBA junior middleweight titles after his loss to Canelo.
Questions About Spence’s Health
The way that Spence looked in his loss to Crawford, fans question whether he should still be fighting.
“Spence looked like a shell of himself out there. He was slow, couldn’t get his rhythm, and Crawford made him look ordinary. Whatever was going on with him, he wasn’t the fighter we’ve seen before,” said commentator Max Kellerman via Boxing News 24.