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Jermell Charlo expects that his two reigns as a 154-pound champion will be appreciated more once he retires.
As the IBF/WBA/WBC champion approaches his 32nd birthday, he has thought more about his accomplishments and if those feats will lead him to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York. The Houston native realizes how much avenging the other blemish on his professional record Saturday night would go toward enhancing his legacy.
Beating Brian Castano would give Charlo victories over Detroit’s Tony Harrison, who upset him by unanimous decision in December 2018 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, and Argentina’s Castano, with whom he settled for a controversial split draw last July 17 at AT&T Center in San Antonio.
More importantly, conquering Castano in their immediate rematch would crown Charlo as the first fully unified 154-pound champion in boxing’s four-belt era. As the potential pivotal moment of his career approaches, Charlo reflected recently on its significance during a wide-ranging interview with a group of reporters.
“Once the story is written, you know, the book is finished, y’all will come back and say, ‘Jermell Charlo did a hell of a job at 154,’ ” Charlo said. “Like I held it down. You know, I’m proud of that. I’m proud of what I’ve done in the division. But I gotta get Castano out the way. I gotta show y’all – Mexican fans and Argentinean fans – why I’m [the] number one guy, that’s been the number one guy for so many years. I possess a different type of strength. I have a different type of power when I punch. I’m the Hagler and the Hearns put together. You know, and I got 12 rounds to do it.”
This will mark the second rematch of Charlo’s career, which began in December 2007. Charlo (34-1-1, 18 KOs) knocked out Harrison in the 11th round of their second fight, which took place in December 2019 at Toyota Arena in Ontario, California, almost a year to the day after Harrison edged Charlo by unanimous decision. Buenos Aires’ Castano (17-0-2, 12 KOs) is set to participate in his first rematch.
Caesars Sportsbook lists Charlo as slightly more than a 2-1 favorite to defeat Castano in the 12-round main event of a “Showtime Championship Boxing” tripleheader at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.
Showtime’s telecast is set to start at 9 p.m. ET with a 10-round bout between Mexican junior featherweight contender Kevin Gonzalez (24-0-1, 13 KOs) and Puerto Rico’s Emanuel Rivera (19-2, 12 KOs). Jaron Ennis (28-0, 26 KOs, 1 NC), an elite welterweight contender from Philadelphia, is set to square off with Ottawa’s Custio Clayton (19-0-1, 12 KOs) in Showtime’s 12-round co-feature.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.