Jermall Charlo is back in the gym, training for his comeback to prepare for a return to the ring in 2025.
The former undisputed junior middleweight champion, Charlo (35-2-1, 19 KOs), has been resting for the last 15 months after losing to IBF, WBA, WBC, and WBO 168-lb champion Canelo Alvarez by a wide 12-round unanimous decision in a non-effort on September 30, 2023.
Fans on social media joke that the 34-year-old Charlo spent the estimated $20 million paycheck he received for the Canelo fight. Charlo didn’t blow his total earnings; he made the right decision to resume his career. Jermell can make a lot of money if he fights on one of Turki Al-Shiekh’s cards in Riyadh.
The 154-lb division has gotten a lot better in the last year since Charlo held four belts in that weight class, and it’s questionable if he can beat any of the top fighters now. He’s been out for too long, and there are more talented guys at the top now than when Jermell held belts.
It would be interesting to fans if Al-Shiekh offered Jermell a fight against one of these talents:
– Israil Madrimov
– Serhii Bohachuk
– Vergil Ortiz Jr.
– Charles Conwell
– Bakhram Murtazaliev
– Sebastian Fundora
– Terence Crawford
– Xander Zayas
– Yoeniz Tellaz
– Tim Tszyu
If you’re Turki, the easiest fight to put together would be Jermell against IBF champion Murtazaliev. Crawford isn’t going to agree to fight Charlo unless he’s offered big money, perhaps more than what he got for his match against Madrimov on August 3rd.
Most of those fighters would beat the version of Jermell that lost to Canelo and struggled against Brian Castano and Tony Harrison. Again, the 154-lb division has changed and gotten a lot better. Charlo will be turning 35 on May 19, and that’s not young for any weight class.
If Charlo does come back, he needs to stay active rather than fighting once and then disappear for a year. He’d been fighting on an annual basis since 2020. He didn’t fight in 2024, resting up after getting a big payday against Canelo.
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