The odds are supposedly stacked against Jermell Charlo. The 33-year-old junior middleweight undisputed champion is temporarily abandoning his throne to chase greatness. (photo by Ryan Hafey)
On September 30th, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, Charlo (35-1-1, 19 KOs) will officially move up two weight classes and 14 pounds to take on current undisputed super middleweight kingpin, Canelo Alvarez.
As a whole, oddsmakers are convinced that Alvarez will be a bit too big and too strong for his man. Charlo, however, doesn’t agree with those words in the slightest. While Alvarez might be the larger man, when it comes to the battle of skills, Charlo struggles to find a category where Alvarez outshines him.
“I move better than him,” said Charlo during a recent interview on Million Dollaz Worth of Game. “My style is better. I feel like my speed is better. I got a lot of attributes.”
In roughly a month, the Houston native will have the opportunity to prove that size is nothing more than a number.
Alvarez, on the other hand, is desperate to show that better days are still ahead. In his last handful of performances, the pound-for-pound star hasn’t quite looked like himself. But, regardless of the naysayers' believing that Alvarez is now well past his prime, he fully intends on punishing Charlo and making a statement.
As a matchup between two undisputed champions gets closer, Charlo is as confident as ever. With that said, he isn’t sleeping on what Alvarez will bring to the table, even if it’s a diminished version.
Charlo could point to Alvarez’s body punching, his slick defensive movement, or his underrated ring IQ. He won’t though. Instead, the newly turned super middleweight contender accentuated the tenacity and fight that Alvarez normally exhibits.
“He’s a dog and he got like 60 something fights and shit but I’m great at what I do. What I have will flourish on the 30th.”