Jermall Charlo claimed recently that he isn’t the least bit concerned about ring rust hindering him later this month.

The unbeaten WBC middleweight champion will end a 29-month layoff when he opposes Jose Benavidez Jr. in a 10-round, non-title fight November 25 in Las Vegas. Charlo still feels he’ll be able to execute the way he expects against an opponent who himself has fought just three times in the past five years.

“I won’t be rusty,” Charlo told Showtime’s Brian Custer during a virtual press conference. “I won’t be rusty. It don’t matter. I won’t be rusty. No excuses. Got nothing else to say. No excuses. I hope [Benavidez is] not, you know, looking, thinking that Imma be rusty. But that’s fine. Like think whatever you wanna think. I’ve been training. Even though y’all haven’t seen me actually fight, I been working. So, I mean, you’ll see. I don’t got nothing else to say.”

Charlo, 33, and Benavidez, 31, proceeded to say plenty during a question-and-answer session that devolved into Benavidez ridiculing Charlo for being open about his mental health issues and Charlo belittling Benavidez for getting shot in the leg seven years ago. They’ll get the opportunity to shut each other up in the co-feature of a Showtime Pay-Per-View event at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino’s Michelob ULTA Arena.

If the heavily favored Charlo (32-0, 22 KOs) beats Benavidez, he’ll become at least a viable option for the winner of the main event between David Benavidez (27-0, 23 KOs) and Demetrius Andrade (32-0, 19 KOs) if David Benavidez or Andrade can’t secure a shot at Alvarez’s IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO super middleweight titles May 4.

It is difficult to know, however, what exactly to make of Charlo’s capabilities after such a long layoff and the mental health issues that have partially prevented him from coming back sooner. The Houston native hasn’t fought since June 2021, when he defeated Mexican contender Juan Macias Montiel (23-6-2, 23 KOs) by unanimous decision in a 12-round “Showtime Championship Boxing” main event that Charlo admitted was tougher than he anticipated at Toyota Center in Houston.

Carlos Adames (23-1, 18 KOs) viciously knocked out Montiel in the third round of their October 2022 bout at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California. Adames won the WBC interim middleweight title that night, but the WBC hasn’t ordered a Charlo-Adames match for Charlo’s championship.

Phoenix’s Benavidez (28-2-1, 19 KOs) is just 1-1-1 in three fights since Terence Crawford stopped him in the 12th round of their October 2018 fight for Crawford’s WBO welterweight title at CHI Health Center in Crawford’s hometown of Omaha, Nebraska. Benavidez has fought three times since Charlo’s last bout, but he warned the heavily favored Charlo about making excuses for how he performs in his comeback bout.

“I’m not gonna do that much talking,” Benavidez said. “You know, this guy over here can talk and say all kinds of bullsh!t, playing his little mental issues bullsh!t in his car. If that was the case, I got shot. The doctor told me I was never gonna walk again. I’m still here fighting, so I don’t play none of them excuses bullsh!t. Come that night, I’m gonna beat the f---- out of him and you’re gonna see who a real f------- puncher is. That’s all I gotta say.”

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.