By: Sean Crose
At the age of 33, it’s clear that Jermall Charlo has had himself an interesting career. Although he’s yet to engage in a true superfight, he remains one of the more notable names in boxing. This now may have nearly as much to do with the man’s personal story as it does his ring exploits. Having held on to the WBC middleweight title for years, the fighter known as “The Future of Boxing” has let to lose a single fight. What’s more, 22 of Charlo’s 33 wins have come by way of knockout.
Then again, Charlo hasn’t stopped an opponent within the distance in over four years now. That perhaps stands to reason, though, since Charlo has only fought three times since then. Of course Charlo has presented as good an excuse as any for his lack of overall activity. “Depression, self conflation, going from hot to cold really fast is shocking to you,” Charlo admitted some time ago to the New York Post. “Dealing with all kinds of cases of bipolar, being by yourself, thinking that you shutting the world out is gonna help you. But you need to be able to speak to someone and help you get past whatever you’re going through.”
Indeed, Charlo, like Tyson Fury, has been open about the emotional battles he’s faced. It takes courage to get in the ring, no doubt, but it also takes courage to tell the world of your most personal of issues. “I turned my back against pretty much the world,” he claimed before publicly declaring that he had since reached out for some much needed help. The help looked as if it paid off last November when Charlo returned from over a two year absence to dominate Jose Benavidez Jr at super middleweight. And as of this week, the help appears to have continued paying off, as word of a potential mega fight against the one and only Canelo Alvarez has been making the rounds.
“I haven’t even talked to (advisor) Al Haymon since I last fought,” Charlo stated in an Instagram video which featured him kicking back and relaxing in what appeared to be the tropics. “Ain’t no confirmation,” he added. “I’m in the islands somewhere.” Not that he wouldn’t be willing to take a shot for genuine ring glory. Fights against the likes of Canelo Alvarez aren’t apt to come around all that often, after all.
