Trainer Ronnie Shields says his star pupil Jermall Charlo 32-0 (22) hasn’t missed a beat despite two-and-a-half years on the bench.
WBC middleweight champion Charlo has not boxed since his near-shutout victory against Juan Macias Montiel 23-6-2 (23) in June 2021. The 33-year-old from Houston, Texas was subsequently sidelined with mental health issues that he says are now under control.
Charlo will return to action against Jose Benavidez Jr 28-2-1 (19) in a 10-round 163-pound non-title bout at the Michelob Ultra Arena at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on November 25.
And Shields thinks fans and pundits alike will be pleasantly surprised by what they see.
“I think Jermall Charlo is back. He’s back to where he was two years ago. His attitude is great and he’s really looking forward to training every day,” Shields said.
“Ring rust is ring rust, but this is why we train every day, to get the rust off. I mean, I wish the fight was tomorrow because he’s ready to go.
“I think Jose Jr brings a lot, especially with his attitude, which is ferocious and that’s a good attitude to have, I guess, in this business.
“You know, look, Jose is like his brother David. They are both good fighters and you can say they train hard, and they come to fight. And that’s a good thing. But you know what, we’re looking for a fight.
“I’ve been dissecting everything, absolutely. I know everything about Jose and what we can exploit and everything that I see that he does that I think can work in our favour. So we’re definitely looking at everything. In the end, I think Jermall is going to be too strong.”
Shields added that Charlo is in a good place in his personal life right now, something that has only helped him in training camp.
“Jermall is like a son to me. He’s in a great place right now. He’s with his wife and his kids and really enjoying everything right now,” Shields said.
“I think it’s that frame of mind that it takes for him to succeed. Now that he has that back and he’s so happy and joyful about everything little thing, that’s a great place for him to be.”
Shields is expecting a firefight against Benavidez, with Charlo coming out on top.
“I think Jose Benavidez Jr is going to come out fast like he always does and he’s going to try and put on a lot of pressure on ’Mall and try to hit him with things we don’t normally get hit with,” he said.
“But whatever he brings, we got something for him. I think ’Mall’s power is special and we’re going to keep backing him up with the power.”
