Jermell Charlo might have been out of the ring for over half of the year, but he is the undisputed 154 lbs world champion.
After a 10th-round knockout of previously unbeaten Brian Castano on May 14, in a bout that was a rematch of their previous draw, Charlo reigns supreme over the division.
That said, the fighter feels favoritism and politics are keeping out of being a consensus pound-for-pound fighter currently.
“I guess in the pound-for-pound, you gotta be liked, you know?,” Charlo said. “And you gotta be on the other side of the river and the road. You gotta be with certain people. You know, I fought on ESPN when I was younger, coming up in the game, and made it to pay-per-views and made it to different shows and did so many amazing things outside of boxing.
Charlo feels that his talents in boxing is something that whether you like him or not, you have to acknowledge.
“What I possess is just undeniable,” Charlo said. “It’s just, I’m very thankful. I’m not even high-horsing me up. You know what I’m saying? I walk around like a normal person that’s very humble at the end of the day, cuz you know, we all come to fight, we all come to win. Much respect to any boxer getting in that ring. But I just know that I’m different. You know, I’m different from anybody that’s in that top pound-for-pound. You know, I don’t get the respect I deserve, and I keep that energy. You know what I mean?
Charlo returns on January 28 from Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino’s Michelob ULTRA Arena, on Showtime as the main event defending all four of his junior middleweight world titles against Tim Tszyu in a fight many have circled on their calendar as one of the best of the year.
