Tag Archives: jermell

Posted on 12/26/2019

By: Kirk Jackson

“I got the belt back and I didn’t leave it up to the judges,” – the bold, telling statement, from the two-time WBC junior middleweight champion Jermell “Iron Man” Charlo (33-1, 17 KO’s).

“Tony is a former champion. He had a lot on the line. I dominated and I knocked him out. It let him know that the power was real. 2020 is going to be real. It’s going to get loud.”

Powerful declarations from the champion. Charlo has legit power and he completed his task in retrieving the belt he lost the previous year. However, there is much to digest from his statement and far more to the story. 

He was accurate with reclaiming his title and 2020 has endless possibilities, regarding the impact he can have within the junior middleweight division. However, he was far from dominant against Tony “Super Bad” Harrison (28-3, 21 KO’s). 

Donned wearing Detroit Lions’ silver and blue, Harrison, in yet another attempt to troll Charlo, placed together a masterful boxing exhibition.

In a turn of events by comparison to their first encounter, Harrison was the aggressor – dictating range and controlling the pace for most of the fight.

When Charlo came out guns blazing in the opening rounds, even successfully scoring a knockdown towards the end of round two, Harrison regained his composure and steadily gained control of the fight. Calmness and confidence oozed from Harrison’s being, sometimes even to his detriment with how the fight turned out in the 11th round.

“I felt like I was doing whatever I really wanted to do before that,” Harrison said during the post-fight press conference. “And I felt like certain parts of the round, I felt like I was starting to break his will. You know what I mean? Because he started to come forward and I told myself like, ‘Look, you tough. You strong. Go for it. Let’s see him fighting on his back foot.’ And I made him do that damn near the whole night. I was catching a lot of his shots, and I pushed forward, man. Ain’t nothing else left to say, man. He earned it. Ain’t nothing else I can really say.The guy earned it. He was a champion for a reason. He earned it.”

This fight highlighted the strength and great attributes each fighter presents. Harrison displayed boxing skill at the highest level; operating off his jab at long-range, elite level defense and precision with his punches, along with the Detroit-grit to boldly trade shots inside the trenches and generally getting the better of the exchanges.

Charlo arguable displayed the greatest traits of all for this bout – consistency and focus. It was the focus which may have been revenge-based, that enabled his success so late in the fight.

“I brought out some things,” Charlo said. “I brought out more than just that old-style, walk-down type of fighter. Tony wanted to come forward. ‘Oh, OK. Come forward, so I can set some traps.’ I came forward, backed up, threw some body shots and just tried to do as much as I can to win that fight. I knew it was getting close. I didn’t want it to get close”

The body punching was a consistent stamp of success for Charlo and those were some of the punches landing with some regularity. 

“I knew it was some late rounds that he was edging. You know what I mean? And I didn’t want it to be that wicked feeling again. You know what I mean? So, I looked over at my brother, glanced over at him, seen him the only one moving in the crowd at that moment, and he was communicating with me through that twin shit. And he was telling me to step it up a little bit.”

Harrison harassed Charlo leading up to the fight and pressed the point of poking at Charlo’s inability to accept defeat. Many criticisms stewing from Harrison, may be viewed at fair assessments depending on who you ask.

It was more than bad blood in a way, the younger Charlo twin may have been forced to look at himself in the mirror, to reflect on who he is as a fighter and perhaps this sparked a measure of growth and maturity for one of the leaders of the Lions Only club.

Jermell’s character and resolve was tested before and throughout their second bout. It can be argued he was getting out boxed throughout the night. Observers can speculate whichever way they want and form opinions on the words and actions of the Houston native. But as of now, he displayed resolve in the rematch and accomplished his mission. Simba successfully returned to the Pride Lands.

The build-up leading up to the fight, the venomous back and forth between both sides and most importantly, the action across their second bout, warrants a third bout to cap the trilogy. 

“I know probably a big question is would you do a trilogy?” Charlo said. “Take that shit to pay-per-view. This could’ve easily been pay-per-view. You know what I mean? And Ontario did great. They showed up. FOX did an amazing job promoting, and all of the things we seen.”

According to Nielsen Media Research, Saturday’s edition of PBC on FOX averaged 1.415 million viewers, along with posting a 1.3 metered market rating. 

The 1.3 metered market rating; which is a sampling of overnight data collected from the top 44 U.S. televised markets, is tied for the second most-watched boxing telecast of the year, placing it alongside a March 9 card, featuring then WBC welterweight champion Shawn Porter, in a narrow win over Yordenis Ugas,also aired on FOX.

The viewership numbers justify a third bout and Harrison undoubtedly is all for it.

The PBC may have stumbled across a diamond in the rough with Harrison, as he essentially was the driving force for selling the fight. Displaying his gift of gab, he was the leading force controlling the press conferences and interviews leading up to the rematch.

Wearing his “Cornball” shirt, even while playing the villain role in this PBC drama, Harrison came across as the endearing force throughout this promotion. He came across as authentic and his output in the fight matched his verbal vitriol and energy leading up to the fight. 

Harrison may be regulated to contender in waiting status, but he has the skills of an elite fighter and his personality warrants more time across television. 

For Charlo, he mentioned a big year for 2020, so what is next? Theoretically, if Charlo and Harrison were to fight a third time, it’s highly unlikely that their rubber match would happen next. 

Word is Charlo is expected to pursue a 154-pound title unification bout with Julian “J-Rock” Williams (27-1-1, 16 KO’s, 1 NC), aka “The Landlord.” 

If Williams successfully defends his IBF and WBA titles against Jeison Rosario (19-1-1, 13 KO’s) on January 18 in Philadelphia, the most likely match-up in the aftermath will feature Charlo and Williams for all the marbles.

Which is an interesting storyline as Williams will aim to continue the family feud he has with the Charlos, having faced current WBC middleweight champion and older twin brother Jermall Charlo (30-0, 22 KO’s) back in 2016.

In regards to Harrison and Charlo saga, unification and potential history may take priority over a rubber match.

Harrison vs. Charlo II was one of the rare occasions in which the sequel was greater than the original. A potential third bout may be the best yet. 

Posted on 12/23/2019

By: Hans Themistode

When Jermell Charlo lost his WBC Jr Middleweight crown to Tony Harrison last year on the 22nd of December, it didn’t seem real. Most who saw the contest were in agreement that Charlo had done more than enough to bring home the victory. 

Fast forward roughly one year later, and the two met up once again. 

With all of the trash talking coming from the side of Tony Harrison, he turned many into believers. Before the two officially met in the ring, Charlo had one more thing to say to Harrison. 

“Get the smelling salts ready.” 

Boy was he not lying as he delivered three knockdowns on the night along with an 11th round stoppage.

The disdain that both men had for one another produced one of the best matches on the 2019 calendar. Now that it’s over, where does the now two time world champion go from here? Keep reading to find out. 

Erickson Lubin Rematch 

It almost seems hilarious for Charlo to grant a rematch to a man that he absolutely destroyed in the very first round when the two met up in 2017. Usually when you lose in the fashion in which Erickson Lubin did, you do whatever it takes to avoid facing off with that opponent anytime soon. Yet since the moment he picked up the first defeat of his career, Lubin has been calling for a rematch. 

When he realized that his words couldn’t get him what he wanted, Lubin began running through his competition. Four straight wins later, including three stoppages, Lubin has now fought his way to a healthy spot. 

Maybe the former ESPN prospect of the year was not ready when the two first squared off, but he certainly looks ready now.

Patrick Teixeira 

Talk about a single win changing everything. 

Patrick Teixeira was considered a fringe contender at best. He had the skills and the power but something seemed to be missing from his arsenal. Now that he is a world champion, he has seemingly put it all together. 

The now WBO titlist looks like one of the best fighters in the division. His championship win over the never before beaten Carlos Adames was impressive. Now that he has vaulted up the rankings and is in possession of a world title, both Charlo and Teixeira should look to unify next. 

It might be a bit difficult to put together due to them competing on different networks and for different promoters, but still, if they can somehow work out the political side of things, this matchup could be an explosive one.

Tony Harrison Part 3

Charlo may have gotten the recent win, but the scoreboard is still tied at one a piece. 

Sometimes when a fighter loses to a particular opponent and immediately wins the rematch, the first contest is viewed as a bit flukey. Just check out what Lennox Lewis did to both Hasim Rahman and Oliver McCall or even more recently, what Anthony Joshua did to Andy Ruiz Jr. 

Just because someone beats you the first time, it doesn’t mean it will happen again. In the case of Tony Harrison and Jermell Charlo, you can easily make the case that a third fight between them could go either way. The first two fights between them have been too good. We all need to see a third in 2020.

Posted on 12/21/2019

By: William Holmes

By: William Holmes

The Toyota Arena in Ontario, California was the host site for tonight’s Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) offering on the fox network.

The main event of the night was a rematch between Tony Harrison (28-2) and Jermell Charlo (32-1) for the WBC Junior Middleweight Title.  The co-main event was supposed to feature Guillermo Rigondeaux and Liborio Solis in the bantamweight division, but visa issues for Solis forced that fight to be cancelled.

The undercard was televised on Fox Sports 1, and featured a split draw between Huge Centeno Jr. and Juan Macias Montiel. Oscar Escandon also fought on the undercard and stopped Jhack Tepora in the first round.

The first fight on the Fox network was a lightweight bout between Rene Tellez Giron (13-1) and Karlos Balderas (9-0). 

Balderas is a 2016 Olympian but was actually three years older than his young and hungry opponent.

Balderas was taller and longer than his opponent, and started off landing clean jabs to the head and body on a pressuring Giron.

Giron was able to land some good punches in their exchanges in the second round and continued to land hard shots in the third.  A vicious left hand by Giron sent Balderas to the mat at the end of the round, and he stumbled back to his feet and barely beat the count of ten.  He stumbled backwards when the referee asked him to walk forward, but was allowed to continue into the next round. 

Giron continued to stay on the attack in the fourth and fifth rounds and was staying dedicated with his body attacks.  By the end of the fifth Giron had outlanded Balderas by twenty more punches.

The sixth round started with an accidental headbutt warning from the referee.  Giron was able to knock Balderas down again with a clean left hook to the chin.  Balderas was able to get up to his feet before the count of ten, but the referee waived the fight off.

Rene Giron scores the upset with a KO at 2:59 of the sixth round.

The next bout was a heavyweight fight between Efe Ajagba (11-0) and Iago Kiladze (26-4-1). 

Ajagba stuck with his jab early and had Kiladze wobbled at the end of the first from a stiff right hand.

Ajagba was landing heavy shots on Kiladze and sent him to the mat at the end of the second from another straight right.  Kiladze was in bad shape at the end of the round and on rubber legs. 

The third round was the best round of the night, as Ajagba was looking to finish the fight and had Kiladze wobbled from a straight right hand, but Kiladze landed a right of his own out of nowhere and sent Ajagba down to the mat.  Ajagba was able to survive the round.

Both boxers landed good shots in the fourth round, but Ajagba appeared to land the heavier punches. 

Ajagba scored another knockdown in the fifth round, but Kiladze got back to his feet and was allowed to continue.  Kiladze stumbled around for a few seconds before his corner threw in the towel. 

Ajagba wins a thrilling bout by KO at 2:09 of the fifth round.

Tony Harrison (28-2) and Jermell Charlo (32-1) met in the main event for the WBC Junior Middleweight Title.

Harrison and Charlo couldn’t even look at each other during fighter introductions.

Charlo came out aggressively in the opening two rounds by throwing wild bombs with reckless abandon.  Harrison grabbed on whenever Charlo got in tight, but was clipped by a two punch combination that momentarily sent him down in the second.

Harrison was calm going into the third round and fought defensively and smartly.  Harrison landed better punches on the inside and surprisingly continued to fight well in tight into the fourth and fifth rounds.

Harrison started to showboat in the sixth rounds and was blocking a lot of Charlo’s punches.  Harrison was a more measured fighter in the middle rounds while Charlo was a little more wild.

It was a close bout going into the ninth round with Harrison backing Charlo down while Charlo was throwing heavier but not as accurate punches.

The championship rounds featured similar action, with Harrison landing measured punches and Charlo landing more looping but hard shots. 

However, Charlo landed a vicious hook to the chin of Harrison and sent him violently to the mat.  Charlo followed it up with several hard uppercuts on Harrison by the ropes and sent him to the mat again.  The referee decided to let Harrison continue, but Charlo pressed forward with combinations and forced the referee to stop the bout.

Jermell Charlo wins by TKO at 2:28 of the eleventh round.

Posted on 12/20/2019

By: Hans Themistode

Around the same time last year, Detroit’s Tony “Super Bad” Harrison (28-2, 21 KO’s) played spoiler to the Charlo household. 

Starring as the Grinch, Harrison pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the year, placing a blemish on Jermell “Iron Man” Charlo’s (32-1, 16 KO’s) undefeated record while capturing the WBC junior middleweight title.

“It was a surreal moment for me, just recapping everything that happened to me and wishing that all the good people that were in my corner were there to see it and be there with me,” Harrison said. 

“I thought of everything that happened to me that was fucked up and I told God I understood why he put me through those things and I understood that he knew that I would get through it and would never lose faith. I was thanking him for all those times, all those moments that made me, me. It was never the good moments, it was always the bad, me being resilient through those moments and me taking that message out of every moment that everything bad happened to make me that man that night to win the fight.”

While Harrison believes he won based on his strategy and skill set; fighting effectively off his back foot, moving around the ring effectively controlling the range, distance, successfully feinting and displaying complete mastery of the jab, Harrison was able to pick his spots and pick apart Charlo. 

Charlo believes his aggression and power punching dictated the pace and controlled the fight.

“I definitely feel like I won that fight,” Charlo said in reference to the first bout. “I pulled out way more rounds than he did. But like I said, it’ll be a rematch and I promise you, like I’m gonnatrain harder, I’m gonna try to train different. I did a great job in training camp. I can’t take nothing away from what me, trainer Derrick James and everybody else game plan was,” said Jermell in a post-fight interview.

“I hit hard. You know what I mean?” Charlo said. “I use my power. A lot of people use their skills and use their – I have skills, I have power, I have speed.”

Watching the fight play out and having each fighter describe the punch-by-punch action in their own words, is significantbecause it provides great insight for the mentality of each fighter. Their reactions and analysis may foreshadow the game plan and mindset for each fighter entering the rematch.

Charlo is livid and seems like he carries around a luggage case containing anger. Harrison loves playing the spoiler and enjoys living “Rent-free” in Charlo’s head as the self-proclaimed troll.

The emotional elements of this match-up do more than draw up intrigue, but may influence the outcome of the fight. Are these temperamental components a plus or negative for Charlo heading into the rematch? Can he harness his intensity, ferocity and formulate the proper plan to exact revenge?

“I’m a passionate person,” Charlo said, in a recent PBC preview special. “I’m a winner. When they took that one from me, of course a passionate person is going to have a different reaction than he would have had. I found out where your heart was. I’ve been able to make more investment into myself to destroy you ever since then.”

“I don’t like ‘phony’ Harrison. It’s easy to explain why the rematch will be different. I’m knocking him out. I can’t let them judges make any decisions. That’s what I need. He’s going to sleep. Cold.”

If Charlo intends to achieve victory, he may have to change things this go-around. A complete overhaul may not be necessary, but an honest assessment and reflection may be key for Charlo progressing forward. While we’re officially awaiting part two to this saga, it seems like Harrison is yelling checkmate in regards to the mental warfare.

“When you’re from Detroit, it does something to you,” said Harrison. “It’s just that extra motivation when you’ve got somebody talking that shit to you and you’re talking it back.”

“I’ve been waiting for this my whole life and its fun to me. Living in Detroit, you gotta have the gift of gab, and that’s another art in itself. So I can talk my shit, and I’m destroying him by doing it. It’s fun and it spices things up. This is a good dinner with jalapenos on top.”

This weekend, Charlo aims to reverse roles and perform his best impression of the Grinch, in an effort to ruin the holiday season for Harrison.

The question remains if the Iron Man can adjust and implement a game-plan allowing greater success in the rematch. Can’t rely on athleticism and anger – which is what Harrison hinted at throughout the long build-up to this rematch.

Harrison aims to thwart off Charlo’s advances and remain the WBC junior middleweight champion once the smoke settles.

I think this relationship between me and him is one of the best relationships in boxing,” said Harrison. “You can’t fake it. It’s good for the sport that we really don’t like each other. And this is such a good fight. It doesn’t get much better than me and himand I want to keep topping that.”

Posted on 09/13/2019

By: Hans Themistode

The 2018 boxing schedule was filled with huge upsets. One particular fight that possibly led the upset pack was when former WBC Jr Middleweight champion Jermell Charlo took on Tony Harrison just a few days before Christmas at the Barclay Center in Brooklyn, New York.

It was supposed to be a quick night for Charlo. He was regarded as the best fighter in the division and was headed towards a unification showdown with former unified champion Jarrett Hurd. Since Charlo won his title back in 2016, he looked sensational in every title defense. He obliterated the highly touted Erickson Lubin in the first round when they matched up in 2017. He followed that up by scoring two knockdowns against former champion Austin Trout en route to a decision victory.

Harrison had no chance. His two losses came via stoppage and there was reason to believe that he was headed towards another knockout loss at the hands of Charlo. The fight played out a bit differently than what many were expecting. Harrison didn’t just stay up right throughout the entire fight, but he also made it very competitive. At times, he dominated. Still, as the fight went to the scorecards, many believed that Charlo had done more than enough to win. When Harrison was announced as the winner it sent shockwaves throughout the entire boxing world.

Charlo didn’t take long to exercise his rematch clause to win back his belt. Unfortunately, Harrison was forced to withdraw the first time around because of an ankle injury, which forced Charlo to knockout his replacement opponent Jorge Cota. Now that Harrison seems to be fully healed there, seems to be a new date set for their rematch.

Courtesy of Jermell Charlo’s Instagram, he revealed the news of a deal being reached between the two. He kept it short and sweet when regarding the rematch he has been waiting for.

“December 21st… Nothing he can do !!! NO RESPECT SEASON”

Accompanying Charlo’s statement, was a picture of their first contest. Where this contest will take place is yet to be known as of yet but that detail is sure to be released soon.

What’s most interesting about this event is the date, as it is one day earlier than their original contest last year. Both men have been vocal since they have shared the ring.

Even with a championship around his waist, Harrison was never given the respect he felt he deserved.

“There were three championship judges who all said I won,” said Harrison during an interview a few months back. “I don’t pay attention to what Jermell has to say but I can’t wait to beat him again and prove to everyone that I am the champion now.”

With the rematch seemingly all set, we all can finally decide who is the better fighter between the two.

Posted on 12/23/2018

By: William Holmes

Premier Boxing Champions made their contract debut with the Fox Network tonight live from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

The main event featured a last minute replacement as former title contender Willie Monroe Jr. was flagged for possible performance enhancers and Matt Korobov agreed to take his place. Many felt Korobov was a tougher matchup for Jermall Charlo than Monroe, and the fight appeared to confirm that thought.

The opening bout of the night was between Dominic Breazeale (20-1) and Carlos Negron (20-2) in the heavyweight division. Breazeale looked a bit sluggish early on and may have given up some of the earlier rounds based on Negron’s activity alone. Negron landed some questionable punches at the end of the third round that appeared to land after the bell had rung.

Breazeale’s accuracy began to improve in the middle rounds and he made it clear that he was the more powerful puncher of the two. A thunderous right hand by Breazeale ended the fight in the ninth round as Negron crashed to the ring and had his head hanging over the middle rope.

Dominic Breazeale could be seen challenging Deontay Wilder, who sat ringside, after the stoppage. Breazeale won by a TKO at 1:37 of the ninth round.

The next bout of the night was between Tony Harrison (27-2) and Jermell Charlo (31-0) for Charlo’s WBC Super Welterweight Title.

Charlo appeared to be more tentative than usual, and wasn’t throwing combinations like he normally does. He was the more aggressive fighter and pressed the pace, but a lot of his punches were missing and he was open to some of Harrison’s counters.

Charlo did land the harder punches throughout the night, and he appeared to have hurt Harrison on more than one occasion. But Harrison’s jab was active and accurate and he kept most of the rounds close and hard to score.

Harrison did appear to nearly knock Charlo down in the fifth round with a right hand, but Charlo was able to answer him later with a scorching right hand that had Harrison stunned.

Charlo’s best round of the night may have been the last two rounds, as he landed a beautiful uppercut in the eleventh and appeared to have hurt Harrison with a left hook in the twelfth, but the judges didn’t feel it was enough for Charlo to win the bout.

In a bit of an upset, Tony Harrison won the scorecards with scores of 115-113, 115-113, and 116-112.

The main event of the evening was between Jermall Charlo (27-0) and Matt Korobov (28-1) for the WBC Interim Middleweight Title.

Korobov was a cagey veteran who’s lone blemish on his record was a shocking stoppage upset to Andy Lee, in a fight that he was winning on the scorecards at the time. Despite not having a meaningful fight in over eighteen months, he showed no signs of ring rust early on and had Charlo bothered with accurate counters while showing good upper body movement to avoid Charlo’s power shots.

Charlo’s noticeable reach advantage worked to his favor in the middle rounds as Charlo became more active with his jab and kept it in the face of Korobov. But the later third of the fight Korobov’s right eye was nearly swollen shut.

The first four rounds could have been arguably scores for Korobov, but Charlo had a strong fifth round that was punctuated with a short right hand and he continued that momentum into the sixth and seventh rounds.

The ninth round featured both fighters landing hard combinations, but Korobov was starting to tire and Charlo was still able to throw hard shots. Charlo had Korobov covering up in the tenth round and the eleventh round was very competitive.

Charlo appeared to have a slight lead going into the final round, but his best round of the night was the last round as he had Korobov hurt with several hard shots and had the referee looking at Korobov closely with an eye towards a possible stoppage.

There was no controversy with this decision, though it was a close and entertaining fight. Charlo retained his title with scores of 116-112, 119-108, and 116-112.

Posted on 06/08/2018

By: William Holmes

On Saturday night Leo Santa Cruz and Abner Mares will rematch from a 2015 fight that featured more than 2000 total punches thrown. This rematch will take place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles and will be televised live on Showtime. Santa Cruz and Mares will be fighting for Santa Cruz’s WBA “Super” Featherweight Title.

The co-main event of the night will be an intriguing bout between the rising Jermell Charlo and Austin Trout, who is best known for defeating Miguel Cotto. This bout will be for Charlo’s WBC Junior Middleweight Title.

Photo Credit: Premier Boxing Champions Twitter Account

The undercard is packed with fights such as Karlos Balderas and Pedo Lopez in the junior lightweight division, Arnold Alejandro and Elliot Brown in the Featherweight Division, Jose Balderas and Luis Montellano in the Junior Featherweight division, and Ivan Redkach and Brian Jones in the welterweight division.

The following is a preview of both planned televised bouts.

Jermell Charlo (30-0) vs. Austin Trout (31-4); WBC Junior Middleweight Title

The opening bout will be for the WBC Junior Middleweight Title between Jermell Charlo and Austin Trout.

Trout had previously faced Jermell’s twin brother, Jermall Charlo, and came up short. Charlo is four years younger than Trout and will have about an inch and a half height advantage and a one inch reach advantage.

They both have decent power, Charlo has stopped fifteen of his opponents while Trout has stopped seventeen. Trout has only fought once in 2016, 2017, and 2018 while Charlo fought twice in 2017, once in 2016. Trout has struggled recently and went 2-2 the past four fights, Charlo has been on a tear and has never tasted defeated and is currently riding a four fight win streak.

Both boxers had a pretty good amateur career. Charlo was a Junior Olympics Bronze Medalist and Trout was a US Amateur Gold Medalist.

Charlo has defeated the likes of Erickson Lubin, Charles Hatley, John Jackson, Vanes Martirosyan, and Gabriel Rosado. Trout has defeated the likes of Joey Hernandez, Daniel Dawson, Miguel Cotto, and Delvin Rodriguez. He has losses to Canelo Alvarez, Erislandy Lara, Jermall Charlo, and Jarrett Hurd.

Unfortunately for Trout the Charlo brothers are very close and will likely be talking about how to defeat Austin Trout. Trout’s biggest victory of his career was against Miguel Cotto and a win against Charlo might be considered an even bigger upset, but his lack of activity the past three years plus his recent struggles against high level competition makes those prospects unlikely.

Leo Santa Cruz (34-1-1) vs. Abner Mares (31-2-1); WBA “Super” Featherweight Title

The first bout between Santa Cruz and Mares was an action packed bout with an abnormally high number of punches. Santa Cruz won a close decision when they first fought and Mares has been itching for a rematch ever since.

Santa Cruz is three years younger than Mares. He also has a three inch height and a three inch reach advantage. He will be the obvious bigger man inside the ring.

Both boxers are known for their ability to throw a high volume of punches and swarm their opponents. But Santa Cruz has been the more active boxer. He fought twice in 2017 and twice in 2016, while Mares only fought once in 2016 and once in 2017.

Both boxers come from a successful amateur career. Santa Cruz won a gold medal in the Junior Olympics and Mares competed in the 2004 Summer Olympics. Santa Cruz has a slight edge in power. He has nineteen stoppage victories while Mares only has fifteen.

Mares has two losses, but was stopped in one of those losses, a mild upset to Jhonny Gonzalez.

Santa Cruz has defeated the likes of Chris Avalos, Carl Frampton, Kiko Martinez, Abner Mares, Cesar Seda, Eric Morel, and Cristian Mijares. His lone loss was to Carl Frampton, and it was a loss he later avenged.

Mares has defeated the likes of Andres Gutierrez, Jesus Cuellar, Jonathan Oquendo, Daniel Ponce De Leon, Anselmo Moreno, Eric Morel, Joseph Agbeko, and Vic Darchinyan. His losses were to Jhonny Gonzalez and Leo Santa Cruz, and he hopes to avenge his loss to Santa Cruz on Saturday.

Unfortuntely for Mares he’s still fighting a bigger man who’s in the middle of his athletic prime, while Mares is hitting the age that boxers tend to show signs of slipping.

It seems likely that Santa Cruz will get a more convincing victory on Saturday night.

Posted on 07/30/2017

By: Ken Hissner

At the Barclay Center in Brooklyn, NY, Mayweather Promotions, PBC and DiBella Entertainment promoted before 12,000 fans over Showtime Saturday night.

The 3 division champion and current WBC lightweight champion Mikey Garcia, 37-0 (30), of Moreno Valley, out of Oxnard, CA, easily defeated former 3 division champion of the world and No. 2 WBA welterweight Adrien “The Problem” Broner, 33-3 (24), of Cinn., OH, over 12 rounds.

In the opening round it took the aggressor Garcia close to a minute to land his first punch, a jab. Up until then it was Broner’s jab controlling. A Garcia lead right had Broner nailed on the chin. Later a left hook body shot by Garcia had Broner against the ropes. In the second round it was all Garcia. When Broner tried to tie him up Garcia pushed him back. Garcia got in several right hands to the body of Broner. In the third round like the first it was Broner’s jab for almost a minute before Garcia landed a counter left hook punch. At the halfway mark of the round Garcia landed a solid left hook to the body. With half a minute left in the round Garcia opened up with a flurry of punches ending with a right uppercut to the chin of Broner. In the fourth round Broner stayed in the pocket for the first time halfway through the round but did little as Garcia landed a flurry of punches twice in the second half of the round with the right uppercut to the chin of Broner at the end of the flurries.

In the fifth round Broner with hands held up right trying to stop the jab and lead right of Garcia but with little success to stop them. With 30 seconds to go in the round Garcia landed a solid left hook to the landed a combination. In the sixth round Garcia continued to pound Broner until a little than a minute left in he round before Broner landed a 3-punch combination to the head of Garcia. The round ended with a lead right from Garcia to the body of Broner. Broner’s corner is Around Broner came out strong for half a minute before dancing around throwing a weak jab as Garcia is all over him. With a minute left in the round Garcia lands punch after punch keeping Broner at bay. Just prior to the bell Garcia landed five unanswered punches with a right to the jaw among them rocked Broner. In the eighth round after a minute Garcia drops his hands challenging Broner to fight back. Garcia landed a dozen punches without return from Broner who landed a chopping right to the head. Broner came forward at the bell trying to steal the round but was stopped in his tracks by a Garcia hard jab. It was a big round once again by Garcia.

In the ninth round a right cross from Garcia grazed the jaw of Broner after the first minute of the round. Garcia keeps pressing Broner easily out landed Broner. Inside of a minute left in the round Broner landed several beltline or lower punched keeping Garcia on the defense. This may have been Broner’s best round since the first round. In the tenth round with Broner coming forward Garcia countered well. At the minute mark to go in the round Broner landed the best punch of the fight for him a left hook to the head of Garcia putting him back a step or two. Garcia finished strong with a combination at the bell. In the eleventh round Broner well behind in the fight was looking for a big punch but was taking a two-handed attack from Garcia. It was another big round for Garcia as both Garcia counters well as Broner keeps coming forward but landing little. A Broner body shot got Garcia’s attention as he came right back landing punch after punch. Garcia finished up as strong as he was in the first round. The referee was Harvey Dock.

Judges Weisfeld and Don Akerman had it 116-112 while Eric Marlinski had it 117-111 and this writer had it 119-109.

“I will stay at 140 but may move up to 147 in the future,” said Garcia. Broner was very bitter though omitting Garcia beat him. Using a couple of foul words as the crowd boo’d him Broner did little to convince anyone he will be back at the championship level as he was boasting. It was a superb performance by Garcia who is trained by his brother Robert Garcia.

In a WBC middleweight elimination bout IBF Super welterweight champion Jermall Charlo, 26-0 (20), of Houston, TX, stopped No. 1 WBC contender, southpaw middleweight Jorge Sebastian “El Gaucho de Pigue” Heiland, 29-5-2 (16), of Bueno Aires, ARG, at 2:13 of the fourth round.

Prior to the start of the fight the Boxing Commissioner made Heiland take off a wrapping around his left leg. In the opening round Charlo kept his jab in the face of Heiland throughout the round. It took Heiland half a round to land a punch though he was the aggressor. How he ever got to be the No. 1 contender must have been “paid for” as he plug’s along. In the second round with Charlo now the aggressor dropped Heiland at the halfway mark of the round with a right uppercut. Referee Benjy Estaves, Jr. administered the 8 count and upon rising made him walk to the left and right. He lasted out the round though a lead right from Charlo rocked him prior to the round ending. The bell sounded to start the round and referee Esteves brought the ring physician in to check the left leg of Heiland. Charlo continued landing the jab followed by lead right hands easily winning the round. Before the third round started the ring physician was brought in again to check Heiland. With one minute left in the round a left hand to the ear dropped Heiland. He got up and looked like a drunken soldier falling back into the ropes forcing the stoppage. This was a mismatch when Heiland signed the contract. He could have had three “good legs” and he was going to be stopped early.

“First I want to thank God for this opportunity along with Showtime and feel I am ready for the best in the middleweight division,” said Charlo.

Heavyweight Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller, 19-0-1 (17), Brooklyn, NY, stopped Gerald “El Gallo Negro” Washington, 18-2-1 (12), of Vallejo, CA, at the end of the eighth round of a scheduled 10.

Miller landed four right hands and had Washington out on his feet forcing referee Gary Rosato to call a halt.

“I want to thank God for the victory. I’m surprised they took this fight. I lost 40 pounds (came in at 298) for this fight. I want to be another American world heavyweight champion,” said Miller. He is No. 7 in the WBO, WBA and IBF while Washington was No. 15 in the WBC.

For Olympian southpaw Rau’sheen Warren, 15-2 (4), of Cinn., OH, bounced back after losing his WBA Super World bantamweight title earlier this year with a win in a super bantamweight bout over McJoe Arroyo, 17-2 (8), of Fajardo, PR, who lost his IBF Super World Flyweight title last year losing over 12 rounds by scores of 118-110 and 117-111 twice.

Posted on 04/25/2017

Twin Power: The Charlo Brothers
By: Kirk Jackson

One half of the powerful twin tag team duo was on display this past weekend as Jermell Charlo29-0 (14 KO’s) successfully defended his WBC junior middleweight title, stopping Charles Hatley26-2-1 via 6th round knockout.

In his first defense of his WBC title against the no.1 contender, Charloshowcased a wide range of skills.Displaying offensive versatility;stiff jabs, accurate straight punches, counter left hooks, punching power and range-awareness.
Charlo rocked Hatleyin the 2nd round, dropped Hatley with a right hand in the 3rd round and ultimately finished him in the 6th round.

A boxing-brother tandem issomething we’ve witnessed in the sport as there are many successful examples throughout history.

Juan Manuel and Rafael Marquez, Koki, Daiki and Tomoki Kameda, Ricky and Matthew Hatton, Michael and Leon Spinks, Roger, Jeff and Floyd Mayweather Sr., Vitali and WladimirKlitschko who reigned as heavyweight kings for more than a decade.

The Charlo brothers appear to be the next tandem to take over and they are twins – the Charlo brothers are only the second set of twins to hold world titles at the same time.

The first is Khaosai Galaxy (junior bantamweight) and Khaokor Galaxy (bantamweight), of Thailand, briefly holding world titles simultaneously in the late 1980s.

Jermell aims to dominate the junior middleweight division now that his twin Jermall moved up to the middleweight division.

The younger twin brother (one minute younger) spoke of his ambitions post-fight after defeating Hatley. “They got a guy named JarretHurd that took my brother’s title – we could unify,” said Jermell Charlo.

Hurd 20-0 (14 KO’s) recently won the IBF junior middleweight title Jermall Charlo 25-0 (19 KO’s) vacated in February.
The possibility of facing and potentially defeating another undefeated champion, while adding an additional world title is a great accomplishment and feather on the cap.

The other champions in the division are stable mate Erislandy Lara (WBA) 22-2-2 (14 KO’s) and Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez (WBO) 48-1-1 (34 KO’s).

Lara and the Charlo brothers shared the same trainer, Ronnie Shields. Although Jermell is no longer with Shields, the prospect of Jermell and Lara fighting is less than likely.

It’s also unlikely we’ll see Jermell vs. Alvarez, with Alvarez facing Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. at 164 lbs. and the Mexican star probably staying in the middleweight division after his clash with Chavez Cinco de Mayo weekend.
Canelo’s ascension towards middleweight does open the door for Jermall however.

Another notable name in the division is the former WBO junior middleweight champion Demetrius Andrade 24-0 (16 KO’s).

He currently holds a portion of the WBA title – one of the many fragments and is adamant on beating both Charlo brothers.

@TwinCharlo@Laraboxing@FutureOfBoxing@NoDoubtTrout Vanes you got 3 fights against these guys, they won't even mention my name lol

— Demetrius Andrade (@BooBooAndrade) September 29, 2016

@danrafaelespn Hello?? Can you hear me?? 154 lb division??? Has everyone retired?? @TwinCharlo@Laraboxing@FutureOfBoxing@NoDoubtTrout

— Demetrius Andrade (@BooBooAndrade) September 28, 2016

A fight between the two needs to happen. The winner has the opportunity to unify titles in the division and may establish himself as not only the best at 154, but as one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in boxing.

Regarding Jermall at 160 lbs., he is ranked no.2 according to the WBC middleweight rankings and intends on becoming the mandatory challenger for Gennady Golovkin’s 37-0 (33 KO’s) WBC title. However he must defeat Argentinian Jorge Sebastian Heiland to secure that position.

Jermall had a solid run at 154, defeating a faded world titlist at the time Cornelius Bundrage, a strong former champion Austin Trout and one of the best, undefeated, world contenders Julian Williams.

The older twin brother was a terror at junior middleweight; technically sound, a nice blend of overall speed, punching power and athleticism.

If Jermall can carry these traits to middleweight, he’ll present problems to anyone.

Match-ups against Alvarez, Chavez, Golovkin sound intriguing on paper. Even match-ups against some of the other factors at middleweight; WBO middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders, former titlists Danny Jacobs, David Lemieux and Andy Lee, all sound like interesting fights.

It’s just a matter of manifesting. Can each brother put a strangle hold on their respective division?

Will this be the year the twin tag team takes over boxing?

Posted on 04/23/2017

Showtime Championship Boxing Results: Charlo defends title by devastating KO; Porter wins by 9th round TKO

By: Matthew N. Becher

Premier Boxing Champions presented its second major welterweight matchup in 2017, again at the growing boxing venue the Barclays Center in Brooklyn,NY. Andre Berto and Shawn Porter are both former welterweight world champions, with the winner getting a chance to take on the unified welterweight champ, Keith Thurman.

The leadup fight is between two Jr. Midleweights from the great state of Texas. Jermell Charlo, one half of the famous “Charlo Twins”, will defend his WBC title for the first time, against a very game Charles Hatley. Hatley has only fought outside of his home state of Texas once in his career, when he went to Australia and beat an aging Anthony Mundine over 17 months ago.

Jermell Charlo v. Charles Hatley: WBC Jr. Middleweight

Hatley came out a bit more wild in the opening round. It was easy to see who was the champion, with Charlo landing the much more effective, crisp punches. Hatley was the more aggressive fighter, as Charlo was content in countering and waiting on a heavy shot. Charlo recieved a cut over his left eye due to an accidental clash of heads in the second round.

In the third round Charlo landed a beautiful three punch combination to knock down Hatley. Hatley was definitley hurt, but was able to survive the round by moving and holding appropriately.

Charlo is able to land a one, two, left, right to the head of Hatley at will. Charlo cuts off the ring with no problem and can even fight backing up and using his supperior speed to counter Hatley.

In the fifth round Hatley just decided to continualy move around and around the ring, not engaging with Charlo. Charlo was able to use a stinging left jab that snapped Hatley’s head back every time.

Charlo decided to unleash a barrage of punches in the sixth round and ultimately ended the fight by knocking Hatley out of the ring with a devastating right hand to the chin.

Charlo defended his title and proved that he was on another level than Charles Hatley.

Charlo KO6 0:32

Shawn Porter v. Andre Berto: Welterweight

Neither of these veterans decided to come out and feel the other out, it was a rough and tough battle from the first bell. Both Berto and Porter fought and clinched, wrestling around to show the other who was the stronger or more dominant man.

Berto was just physically dominated by Porter in the second round. Porter bum rushed his way in, got Berto on the ropes and used his head, elbows and just unloaded punches. In the trenches, Porter ended up coming away with a nasty cut over his left eye, from a headbutt. This didn’t bother Porter in the slightest, as he put Berto to the canvas at the end of the round with a right hand to Berto’s temple.

Porter just puts his head down and bumrushes Berto into the ropes. Porter is mentally frustrated by not being able to box and continually fighting with his back against the ropes. The recklesness of Porters sytle is he ended up getting cuts over both of his eyes from headbutts.

The ugliness of the fight now has both fighters with bad cuts over their eyes. Porter is an overwhelming swarm of a fighter, pushing forward , with no regard to headclashes or shots landed back. Berto, is having trouble with the blood flowing into his eye. Porter is fighing thinking the fight could end at any moment and go to the scorecards, Berto is trying to figure out a way to get back to his gameplan.

In the seventh round, Berto has been landing his counter shots much more accurately. Those punches come very few and far between unfortunately, as Porter has the advantage of power and continues to lead with his jab and braun.

Porter came out in the eighth round and used Berto like a heavybag. Porter immediately got Berto on the ropes and just unloaded against the body and head. Berto didn’t seem to be hurt, but he was never able to get anything started at all.

Porter, who seemed to have an endless supply of energy, rushed Berto and in an ugly exchange between the two fighters, Porter was able to knock Berto down for the second time of the fight. Berto complained about a clash of heads that left him seemingly dazed. Porter rushed in again, got Berto stuck in a corner and the ref stepped in and stopped the fight in the 9th round.

Porter TKO9 1:31

Posted on 04/19/2017

PBC on Showtime Preview: Andre Berto vs. Shawn Porter, Jermell Charlo vs. Charles Hatley
By: William Holmes

On Saturday night in Brooklyn, New York Showtime will televise at least two bouts in the welterweight and junior middleweight divisions live from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

The main event will be between two top contenders, Shawn “Showtime” Porter and Andre Berto in a WBC Welterweight Title eliminator. The co-main event will be for the WBC Junior Middleweight Title between Jermell Charlo and Charles Hatley.

Other boxers on the undercard include WBO Women’s Bantamweight champion Amanda Serrano, Jose Miguel Borrego, Julian Sosa, and Richardson Hitchins.

The following is a preview of the Porter vs. Berto and Charlo vs. Hatley bouts.

Jermell Charlo (28-0) vs. Charles Hatley (26-1-1); WBC Junior Middleweight Title

This bout is between two boxers who should be somewhat familiar with each other, Jermell Charlo and Charles Hatley. Charlo and Hatley are both Texas natives and Charlo hails from Houston while Hatley hails from Dallas.

Charlo, the younger twin brother of Jermall, will be five years younger than Hatley and will have about a one inch height and reach advantage. Hatley, however, appears to be the harder puncher of the two. Hatley has stopped eighteen of his opponents and four of his past five wins have come by TKO. Charlo has only stopped thirteen of his opponents and only two of his past five opponents were stopped.

Both boxers have not been very active recently. Charlo only fought once in 2016 and twice in 2015, while Hatley did not fight in all of 2016 and fought twice in 2015.

They both had decent amateur careers, but Hatley was the more accomplished amateur. Hatley was the 2007 US National Amateur Welterweight Champion and the 2008 Olympic alternate. Charlo won the bronze medal in the 2005 Junior Olympics.

Charlo has the better resume as a professional. He has beaten the likes of John Jackson, Joachim Alcine, Vanes Martirosyan, Mario Lozano, Charles Bellamy, Gabriel Rosado, Demetrius Hopkins, and Harry Joe Yorgey. Hatley has beaten the likes of Emmanuel Augustus, Anthony Mundine, Saul Roman, and Jose Flores. His lone loss was to Lanardo Tyner, and he failed to go the distance in that bout.

At the age of thirty one and not having fought in over a year, ring rust is a serious concern for Hatley. Charlo is coming off a very good win against Jackson and momentum and age is on his side.

This should be a close bout early, but Charlo should take over in the later rounds.

Shawn Porter (26-2-1) vs. Andre Berto (31-4); WBC Welterweight Eliminator

This is a bout between two of the top contenders in the welterweight division that are looking for another chance at a welterweight title shot. Another loss for either boxer could spell the end of any hope of fighting for a title in the near future.
Both Porter and Berto had successful amateur careers. Porter was a World Golden Gloves Champion and came up short in qualifying for the 2008 US Olympic Team. Berto was a National Golden Gloves Champion, a bronze medalist in the 2003 World Championships, and represented Haiti in the 2004 Summer Olympics.

Both boxers have had some difficulties as of late. Berto has gone 3-3 in his last six bouts while Porter has gone 4-2. Porter has losses to the likes of Keith Thurman and Kell Brook by close decisions. Berto has lost to the likes of Floyd Mayweather Jr., Robert Guerrero, Victor Ortiz, and Jesus Soto Karass.

Berto appears to have the harder punch of the two. He has stopped twenty four of his opponents while Porter has only stopped sixteen. However, Porter is five years younger than Berto and will have a half an inch height advantage and about an inch reach advantage.

Neither boxer has been very active the past two years. They both fought once in 2016 and twice in 2015.

Berto’s career started off strong but has since fizzled a little bit. He has wins over Victor Ortiz, Josesito Lopez, Jan Zaveck, Carlos Quintana, Juan Urango, Luis Collazo and Freddy Hernandez.

Porter’s two losses could have gone either way, and he has defeated the likes of Adrien Broner, Paulie Malignaggi, Devon Alexander, Julio Diaz, Phil Lo Greco, and Alfonso Gomez.

This should be a good bout and as typical for most Shawn Porter fights, will likely be very rough and chippy. Porter should be given the edge based on his edge and recent performance, but Berto has the power to stop the fight early if he lands a punch cleanly.

This writer believes Porter will win a close, and at times ugly, decision.

Posted on 12/11/2016

Mares Impresses, Charlo Destroys In Satisfying Showtime Card

It was a battle of undefeateds Saturday night in California as Jernall Charlo – 24-0 – defended his IBF super welterweight title against Philadelphia tough guy Julian Williams – 22-0-1 – at the USC campus in Los Angeles. This was no mere tuneup. This was two top divisional fighters throwing down. It was, in short, the real thing. Both men were active and sharp in the first, with no one landing anything too significant. Things remained sharp in the second until – bang – Charlo dropped his man with a jab. Williams beat the count and the two men took to banging away for the next several seconds. Things settled down – but then Williams landed hard himself.

It was becoming an exciting affair.

Things got a bit quiet in the third – at least by the standards that had been set by the match so far. In the fourth, Williams started landing clean and hard with some consistency. It remained, however, a very close bout. Williams continued to land in the fifth, but an absolutely thunderous shot from Charlo put Williams down in highlight reel fashion. Williams managed to get up – but Charlo put him right back down again and that was the end of the fight.
Unfortunately, in an act of bad sportsmanship, Charlo refused to tap William’s offered glove after the fight. It was an off putting footnote to an impressive performance. Afterwards, however, the man publicly expressed remorse when being interviewed by Showtimes’ Jim Grey. “I apologize for me being a fighter and letting my emotions take over me,” he said.

The audience at USC appeared to be unforgiving, but that didn’t take away the fact the man apologized in public. What more could be expected of the guy?
It was then time for the main event. Thirty-one-year-old Abner Mares – 29-2-1 – was giving what might be a last grasp at glory by facing the menacing 28-1 Jesus Cuellar for Cuellar’s WBA featherweight title. The first round belonged to the veteran challenger, Mares, who controlled space and fired effectively. Cuellar started trying to rough his man up in the second and managed to find some success. Mares, however, wasn’t simply going to roll over.

Cuellar began asserting himself in the third, moving forward and landing hard. Mares landed straight and clean in the first minute of the fourth. Indeed, the experienced pro re-asserted himself and took the round. Mares went on to employ an impressive skill set throughout the fifth. Cuellar, however, kept the fight very close in the sixth, possibly taking the round with a clean shot in the final seconds. And indeed, things remained close and exciting throughout the seventh.

Yet Mares looked completely in control in the eighth. As the fight moved onto the later rounds it became clear that Mares controlled tempo and distance – but Cuellar landed the harder shots. Depending on one’s preference, it wasn’t hard seeing the rounds go to one man or another. Mares landed hard after the bell at the end of the ninth, of course, but illegal shots simply don’t count. Things remained incredibly close in the tenth – but then Cuellar tasted the canvas in the eleventh.

Cuellar got up, but it looked like Mares was going to stop him. Cuellar managed to survive the round and even remained competitive. Still, it was clear by that point that Mares had the edge. Mares played defense in the center of the ring in the twelfth and began raising his hands in victory before the round even ended. Here was a supremely confident man.

Ultimately, the judges went for Mares by split decision. Those who had possibly written Mares’ career off after his 2015 loss to Leo Santa Cruz had clearly done so too soon.