Jermell Charlo climbs weight classes to challenge Canelo Alvarez in a 12-round, 168-pound title fight Saturday night in Las Vegas.
A champion at 154 pounds, Charlo is the underdog to Alvarez.
“You’ve fought some of the best in the world, but not Jermell Charlo,” Charlo said this week. “Everybody knows you’ve fought the best fighters in the world. Don’t overlook my experience, don’t overlook my power. Don’t overlook my skills.”
Alvarez said he has never overlooked any fighter and knows exactly what Charlo will bring to the ring Saturday night.
“This is different,” said Alvarez, 33, seated behind his multiple championship belts. “And I’m ready. You will see. You will learn.”
The fighters weighed in Friday at an identical 167.4 pounds.
The 33-year-old Charlo (35-1-1, 19 KOs) is technically a stand-in for the fight Alvarez anticipated when he signed a three-bout deal to face Jermall Charlo, who is Jermell’s twin brother and WBC middleweight champion. But Jermall hasn’t returned to the ring from an absence of nearly two years because of injuries and mental health challenges.
Jermell Charlo said he’s been chasing Alvarez in hopes of getting this moment for 16 years.
“When I got the call for this fight,” Jermell Charlo said, “there was nothing I could say other than ‘Let’s go.’ He has been the top guy for a long time. The fight has presented itself now and I just have to get in there, do my job and be the best that I can be.”
Alvarez has 39 knockouts and a record of 59-2-2, but it’s the challenger who is moving up two weight classes.
“No disrespect to Jermall. But I think Jermell has had better opposition in his fights,” Alvarez said. “I think he is the better fighter. That’s just what I think. I think Jermell Charlo is the perfect fight right now. He has been calling me out for a long time and I never forget. He’s said a lot of things. He never believed in my skills, but he’s gonna find out soon.”
–Field Level Media