Canelo picks JERMELL Charlo. The fight is a go for Sept. 30 in Las Vegas

If you believe everything that you read on the internet, then you were aware that Canelo Alvarez had picked Jermall Charlo as his next opponent. Even ESPN”s usually reliable Mike Coppinger, who has cultivated a strong grapevine, conveyed the fake news.

“Alvarez is set to defend his undisputed super middleweight championship vs. Jermall Charlo, likely on Sept. 16, sources tell ESPN,” Coppinger told to his followers on twitter before hunkering down to hash over the pairing with his ESPN colleague Ben Baby.

Well, yes, Canelo did pick a Charlo as his next opponent, but it wasn’t Jermall, but rather his twin brother Jermell. Reportedly the first installment of a three-fight deal between the Mexican superstar and Premier Boxing Champions, the fight will transpire in Las Vegas on Sept. 30. Needless to say, it’s a pay-per-view, presumably on Showtime.

It’s easy to confuse the two Charlos who both won world titles at 154 pounds and whose parents certainly didn’t make it any easier for us by giving the identical twins near-identical names.

Snapshots:

Jarmall (32-0, 22 KOs)

Jarmall won the 1BF super welterweight diadem in 2015 with a third-round stoppage of Cornelius Bundrage and made three successful defenses before moving up to middleweight where he captured the WBC world title with a 12-round decision over Brandon Adams. His third defense of that title came in June of 2021, a lopsided decision over Juan Macias Montiel.

Jarmall hasn’t fought since. A back injury, legal problems, and mental health issues stalled his career.

In 2021, he was arrested for the alleged July 16 robbery of a San Antonio restaurant employee after his debit card was declined. Video evidence supported Jermall’s claim that it was all a misunderstanding and the charges were dropped.

Later that year, in September, he was arrested in Fort Bend County, Texas, which includes parts of Houston, on a charge of felony assault for striking a 21-year-old man who claimed to be his cousin. These charges were also dropped when the prosecutor determined that he did not have sufficient evidence to move forward. (Per Boxing Scene’s Jake Donovan, the charges were bumped from a misdemeanor to a felony because Jermall was a repeat offender. There had been a similar incident in Las Vegas in 2015 which didn’t make the local papers.)

Last year, in an unrelated incident, Jarmall filed charges against his wife Shantel Nicole Charlo for an alleged assault. She was arrested, but the authorities did not pursue the matter.

In April of this year, Jermall told his followers on Instagram that he would return in June. “I promise you I will set the summer on fire,” he wrote. Nothing came of it.

Now forget everything that I just wrote because Jermall is not the guy who will be fighting Canelo on Sept. 30.

Jermell (35-1-1, 19 KOs)

Jermell won the WBA version of the super welterweight title in 2016 with a come-from-behind eighth-round stoppage of John Jackson. He lost it in his fourth defense when he was controversially out-pointed by Tony Harrison, and regained it in the rematch (TKO 11), after which he acquired the WBA and IBF 154-pound belts with an eighth-round stoppage of Jeison Rosario.

What followed were two fights with Brian Castano, the WBO title-holder, the first of which ended in a draw. Jermell was dominant in the rematch, scoring a 10^th-round stoppage, and that made him the first undisputed 154-pound champion in the four-belt era.

Jermell has also had legal issues. In 2019, he was charged with two counts of domestic violence for allegedly assaulting a former girlfriend in Dallas. He refused a plea deal and was found innocent on both counts after a three-day jury trial.

Jermell’s best win came on Oct. 14, 2017, when he flattened Erickson Lubin in the opening round with a highlight reel, one-punch knockout. The previously undefeated Lubin was so highly touted that the odds were in the “pick-‘em” range.

Jermell had been on a collision course with Australia’s Tim Tszyu. They were slated to fight on Jan. 28 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, but that fight fell out when Jermell fractured his left hand in sparring. Rather than wait around for Charlo’s injury to heal, Tszyu stayed busy and made great gains in public esteem with impressive showings against Tony Harrison and Carlos Ocampo, the latter of whom he demolished in 77 seconds.

The WBO recently ruled that Jermell would be stripped of the belt if negotiations with Team Tszyu were not consummated by Sept. 30. The organization is expected to defrock Jermell and declare Tim Tszyu their title-holder.

Jermell Charlo will have been out of the ring for 500 days and jumping up two weight classes when he fights Canelo Alvarez (59-2-2, 39 KOs) on Sept. 30. Despite these seemingly big drawbacks, the pricemakers accord him a reasonable chance of winning. One of the first books to post a line on the fight installed Canelo a 2/1 favorite. Should Canelo win, his next fight would logically come against the other Charlo brother.