Jermell Charlo has reportedly activated his WBA junior middleweight champion in recess spot to be the next opponent for new 154-lb champ Israil Madrimov, cutting off any chances of him defending the belt against Terence Crawford on August 3rd.
Dan Rafael reports that Jermell (35-2-1, 19 KOs) has involved his WBA 154-lb champion in recess to force a fight against Madrimov (10-0-1, 7 KOs).
This move by the 33-year-old Jermell Charlo blocks His Excellency Turki Alalshikh’s reported plans to schedule a fight between Crawford and Madrimov for August 3rd in Los Angeles.
A Calculated Move
Some fans see this move by Jermell as a way for PBC to:
- Block Crawford from fighting Madrimov
- Retaliate against Crawford for beating Errol Spence
Luring Crawford?
One possibility is that PBC feels that if Jermell beats Madrimov, it gives him a valuable pawn to lure Crawford into fighting him. Right now, Crawford is not interested in fighting Jermell after watching his poor performance in his loss to Canelo Alvarez.
After Jermell’s lack of effort to win, Crawford lost interest in fighting him. But if Jermell can beat Madrimov to capture his WBA 154-lb title, he’ll have something to lure Crawford.
Financial Questions for Alalshikh
Now, the question is, will Alalshikh be willing to invest massive money in a fight between Charlo and Madrimov on the same August 3rd date?
Given that Jermell was soundly beaten by undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez in his last fight in September 2023, it might not be worth investing money in a fight between Charlo and Madrimov.
The problem is that Jermell looked like he didn’t even try to win. He was fighting scared and appeared to some fans to be there just for the payday against Canelo. Given that poor non-effort from Jermell, would Alalshikh be willing to pay for a fight involving him and Madrimov?
Crawford’s Uncertain Future
It’s unclear who Crawford will fight next if the Madrimov fight is off the table. If the WBO strips Sebastian Fundora of his 154-lb title, Crawford could fight Josh Kelly for that belt. It’s a fight that wouldn’t bring in a lot of money for Crawford unless Alalshikh shows interest.
UK fans would like to see Crawford and Kelly fight, but not U.S. fans. In 2021, Former Crawford victim David Avanesyan knocked out Kelly in the sixth round.
Read the full article here
