Since Monday, August 25, the former undisputed junior middleweight champion Jermell Charlo has called out five top 154-lb fighters that he’s targeting for his comeback after two years out of the ring.
Targeting the Elite
Charlo (35-2-1, 19 KOs) wants to return against top-tier opposition rather than taking his time. He last fought on September 30, 2023, losing the unified super middleweight champion to Canelo Alvarez by a 12-round unanimous decision.
For the 35-year-old Jermell’s callouts, he’s created five AI-generated images of a lion feasting on animals, smoking a cigar with “Bud’ printed on it, and an old boot. What’s clear is that Charlo wants a big name for his comeback, which is understandable. The bigger the name, the bigger the payday.
Charlo’s Comeback Targets
- Sebastian Fundora
- Errol Spence
- Jaron Ennis
- Terence Crawford
- Vergil Ortiz Jr.
The 🦁 is on the prowl.@TwinCharlo recently posted these images to social media. What message do you think he’s trying to send? pic.twitter.com/8UVCjJ0450
— Premier Boxing Champions (@premierboxing) August 28, 2025
The Payday Hunt
Terence Crawford would provide Jermell a massive payday if he could land that fight. It’s been so long since Charlo fought that it’s not a fight that would attract as much interest as it would have if they had fought before Jermell’s long two-year layoff. If Charlo can’t get that fight, one of the other four top fighters would likely agree to face him.
Fans on social media are wondering how much longer Charlo will continue to call out different fighters. With his five-fighter list, he would seemingly have enough. Of the champions at 154, Jermell has ignored Bakhram Murtazalev [IBF], Xander Zayas [WBO], and Abass Baraou [WBA interim]. Those would be tough fighters for Jermell to fight after two years out of the ring.
Charlo hasn’t won a fight in three years since knocking out Brian Castano in the tenth round on May 14, 2022, in their rematch in Carson, California.