Jermall Charlo seems to have a chip on his shoulder. And for good reason. He doesn’t believe people believe in him.
Well, he’ll have a chance to remedy that soon. He is scheduled to face Sergiy Derevyanchenko in what many see as Charlo’s first serious test at middleweight on Sept. 26 in Uncasville, Conn.
The pay-per-view card will also feature a title fight between twin brother Jermell Charlo and Jason Rosario.
“Everybody is doubting me,” Jermall Charlo said on a Zoom call. “I’ve been doubted for years. It’s not anger. I don’t care what my opponent or his trainer says about me. I’m a fighter and I’m ready for this. I really want to just get in there and fight.
“After this fight, people are going to say that I’m a great fighter. I’m the best in the world.”
It probably won’t be easy.
Charlo (30-0, 22 KOs) is a former 154-pound titleholder with victories over Austin Trout and Julian Williams, which lifted him to what might be described as semi-stardom.
And he’s had success at middleweight, beating Matvey Korobov, Brandon Adams and Dennis Hogan at 160 pounds and picking up a secondary title along the way. The problem is that only Korobov was capable enough to give Charlo significant resistance, which allows questions about Charlo to linger.
Derevyanchenko? The former Ukrainian amateur star lost to top-tier opponents Daniel Jacobs and Gennadiy Golovkin but fought both on even terms, losing razor thin decisions each time and garnering tremendous respect in the process.
That’s why some observers give Derevyanchenko (13-2, 10 KOs) a good chance of handing Charlo his first loss. And that’s fine with Charlo. A victory over a respected middleweight is what he seeks.
“He lost both of those fights against Gennadiy Golovkin and Daniel Jacobs,” Charlo said. “Competitive or not, that’s what happened. He’s a warrior, though. And I want him to be sharp so he can give me the best he can give me. This is going to be a real fight, just know that.
“I’m going to be super sharp. That’s the message I want to deliver to all of the other middleweights out there.”
That said, Charlo isn’t making bold predictions. He hasn’t proclaimed that he’ll be the first to stop Derevyanchenko. And isn’t putting pressure on himself to defeat his opponent more convincingly than Jacobs and Golovkin did.
It’s all about fighting his fight, emerging victorious and looking good.
“I thought I might need to out-perform Jacobs and Golovkin, but as long as I continue to be myself, I will get the victory and I’ll have my hand raised,” Charlo said. “I’m smarter, stronger and better than I used to be.
“Every fight is a different fight. I let my trainer do the studying. I’m just focused on what I have to do.”
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