WBC middleweight champion Jermall ‘Hitman’ Charlo 32-0 (22) has claimed it is not his fault he cannot land the big fights at 160-pounds.
The 32-year-old Texan was scheduled to face fringe contender Maciej Sulecki 30-2 (11) in Houston on June 18 before suffering a back injury that forced the fight to be postponed.
At one stage earlier this year that was talk of Charlo defending his title against undefeated former WBO junior middleweight champion Jaime Munguia 40-0 (32) of Mexico but the American said that the negotiations never really got off the ground.
“Nothing ever happened with Munguia. I just never got a chance to deliver that contract, and he never got a chance to deliver his to me, so we never fought. There was never much talk about a fight with Munguia,” said Charlo on The Last Stand with Brian Custer.
WBA and IBF middleweight champion Gennadiy ‘GGG’ Golovkin is set to step up in weight to face undisputed super middleweight champion and Mexican superstar Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez 57-2-2 (39) in a trilogy fight on September 17.
That bout likely takes him out of the game until next year at the earliest.
“GGG, on the other hand, he’s been at 160, he was a monster at 160,” Charlo said. “I guess he’s moving up to 168 to try and fight Canelo. I’m getting overlooked right now in the division. It’s not me, y’all.”
Charlo added he wants to join his twin brother as undisputed champion. Jermell ‘Iron Man’ Charlo 35-1-1 (19) added the WBO strap to his WBCV, WBA and IBF belts when he defeated Brian ‘El Boxi’ Castano 17-1-2 (12) in a rematch last month.
“I’m the 160-pound champion. Where are all the other belts at? I want all the belts in the division like my brother [Jermell, who is the undisputed champion at 154 pounds]. I want to be able to unify and become one of the best middleweights to go down in history.”
Charlo has flagged a move up the the 168-pound weight class where he believes a fight against David ‘El Bandera Roja’ Benavidez would be an easy bout to make.
“No one is at fault. We both have the same handlers. When it makes sense, it’ll happen. Fans, be patient. I want the [Benavidez] fight, so the fight is going to happen,” said Charlo.
He also took aim at Alvarez, who recently lost a 12-round decision to WBA light heavyweight Dmitry Bivol 20-0 (11).
“Canelo says I have nothing to offer him,” Charlo said. “I got a couple of fans that want to see the fight. The world wants to see it. He just lost to Bivol. You want a tune-up? He turned down $50 million. It is what it is. I just knew it was going to happen.
“I’m like, ‘Yes, we’re going to get that fight’. I ran around my mansion, going crazy. ‘Let’s go, let’s go!’ He turned the fight down.”
Undefeated two-weight division champion Demetrius Andrade 31-0 (19) was also in his sights.
“He threw away his belt. The dude has no pride. He was supposed to fight my brother at 154, and he canceled that fight too. We’re not going to keep giving you all these opportunities and you’re not taking them,” said Charlo.
“Everybody else wants them. I’ll fight anybody, I’m a fighter. As long as it makes sense. He’s going through management trouble or something like that. I don’t know what’s up with him.
“Whoever is handling his career needs their ass whooped.”
