DESPITE remaining out of the ring for nearly two years, Jermell Charlo is set to land a world title shot before long.
The former undisputed champion moved up two weight divisions to face Canelo Alvarez, the 168lb king, only to then discover that his audacious assignment was perhaps a step too far.
In fact, Charlo, 35-2-1 (19 KOs), was largely criticised for his lacklustre performance in 2023, but has nonetheless maintained his status as the WBA super-welterweight ‘champion in recess’.
Prior to suffering his second professional defeat, ‘Iron Man’ retained his undisputed crown – this time, producing a far more impressive display – with a 10th-round finish over Brian Castano.
Based on that, it seems that the WBA has made a rather generous concession, allowing Charlo to secure an immediate world title shot in his first fight back.
Before the 35-year-old is presented with an opportunity to reclaim his black and gold strap, though, we must first await the result of Canelo’s blockbuster super-middleweight clash with Terence Crawford.
After that, it is expected that Crawford will be promptly stripped of his WBA world super-welterweight title, the same belt he seized after outpointing Israil Madrimov last year.
That much has been reported by boxing journalist Dan Rafael who, via a social media post yesterday, has also suggested that Charlo will be ordered to face WBA ‘interim’ champion Abass Baraou.
It was just over 24 hours ago that Baraou pulled off a sizable upset against Yoenis Tellez, his industrious performance seeing him emerge with a unanimous decision victory.
As a result, the German has placed himself in a desirable position moving forward, especially if he is able to earn himself a lucrative world title shot against Charlo.
