UNBEATEN former 154-pound world champion Jermall Charlo (26-0, 20 KOs) hosted a media workout last week in his hometown of Houston as he prepares for his WBC Interim middleweight world title fight against Hugo Centeno Jr (14-1, 14 KOs) on Saturday, March 3 as part of the undercard for the Wilder-Ortiz showdown.
This comes after the WBC officially ordered an interim middleweight bout as the WBC middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin is set to face Canelo Alvarez in their May 5 rematch.
The rest of the division must bide their time as the two stars of the division battle it out for the ultimate crown, and the winner of Charlo and Centeno would theoretically get a fight against the winner from May 5.
Charlo is preparing for March 3 at the Charlo Boxing and Fitness Club in Houston and is confident of moving past Centeno to meet one of either Gennady Golovkin or Canelo Alvarez.
“It’s going to be a tough fight against Hugo Centeno Jr. If he can stand up to my power, we’re going to fight, and it’ll be a brutal war,” Charlo said. “If he can’t, I’ll take him out in the first round.”
“Hugo Centeno Jr. is another fighter who is in my way. I know he’ll come in prepared, but I’m confident I’m going to walk out of there with the victory.
“My goal is to show everybody that I’m the best middleweight in the world. I’m going to keep fighting everyone they put in front of me. I’m going to knock them out one-by-one until Canelo or Golovkin have to face me,” he added.
Charlo’s trainer, Ronnie Shields supports his fighters claims and believes he’s as good as any in the 160-pound division.
“Jermall looks great in training camp and we expect him to be at his best come March 3. He’s motivated to put on a good show and prove to everyone he’s a force in this division,” said Shields.
“Hugo Centeno is a quality fighter. He’s well-trained and has length, so Jermall knows he has to be prepared. Centeno isn’t going to let him win, Jermall is going to have to go in and impose his will on the man.
“I believe Jermall has the talent and determination to beat any of the top middleweights out there. We’re going to keep working every day so that when the time comes for one of those fights with a Golovkin or Canelo, he’ll be prepared to take advantage of the opportunity.”
Jermall and his twin brother Jermell have looked dangerous in the past few years, Jermall winning the junior middleweight title in September 2015 with three successful defences over Cornelius Bundrage, Wilky Campfort and Julian Williams before leaving the weight class. Brother Jermell still holds the WBC light middleweight champion that he won in 2016.
“We can’t let Houston down now. My brother and I have made it this far. We can’t stop now. It’s my turn to put on a spectacular performance on March 3. I’m trying to one-up my brother’s previous performance each time I step in there.” added Charlo.
