Editor’s note: This article was originally published on DAZN.com.
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What’s next for middleweight contender Jermall Charlo after his impressive victory over Sergiy Derevyanchenko last month?
Will he face Canelo Alvarez? Could it be Gennadiy Golovkin? Will it be Perhaps Demetrius Andrade? Or is it someone else? The promoter of Andrade and Golovkin at Matchroom Boxing, Eddie Hearn, conducted an Instagram live chat at the end of last week declaring the fight to make is Charlo-Andrade.
Alvarez, Golovkin and Andrade hold major 160-pound titles. Charlo has a secondary belt.
“For me, the fight to make is Andrade against Charlo,” Hearn said. “I saw Charlo’s tweet last night, saying whatever it was saying, he wants to unify like his brother. There is an easy fight to be made there, Charlo against Andrade.
“People say Andrade don’t fight these guys. No one wants to fight him, but he’s a world champion ready to unify. So Andrade against Charlo, yes, please.”
In the latest episode of “Jabs with Mannix and Mora” on DAZN, hosts Chris Mannix and Sergio Mora discuss the potential Andrade-Charlo matchup. Mora, a former 154-pound titleholder, isn’t getting his hopes up.
“No,” Mora said. “It’s not going to get made because Demetrius Andrade is too good, he’s too smart, and he’s too savvy, and he’s too much of a southpaw, especially with that Olympic background. No way this fight happens.
“It’s sad because Demetrius Andrade is undefeated. He’s a champion, but he’s not going to fight the Golovkins, Canelo won’t mention his name, and you can bet Jermall Charlo is not going to mention his name, either.
“Andrade is just too good for his own good. He belongs on his own island of southpaws because that’s what happens. It’s a curse, especially if they have that Olympic pedigree. No one wants to touch him.”
Mannix agreed with his co-host but took it one step further in terms of the matchup’s significance in the boxing landscape.
“I don’t think there’s a better fight that can be made in all of boxing than Jermall Charlo vs. Demetrius Andrade,” Mannix said. “Two undefeated, 160-pounders [with] styles that would mesh well in the ring (which) would make an entertaining fight.
“The winner of that fight would make a lot of money and make themselves the strongest possible candidate to [face] Canelo in the fall of 2021. I don’t know how you look at this situation, Sergio, and not put all of it on Jermall Charlo.
“You could have this fight on Showtime pay-per-view. That’s fine. You could have this fight on DAZN and take the offer that Eddie Hearn made, which was in the neighborhood of $7 million for Jermall Charlo.
“I don’t understand for the life of me why is this isn’t a no-brainer. Charlo, I think, most likely is targeting a guy like Chris Eubank [Jr.]. That’s a fight that NOBODY cares about. I don’t care about Chris Eubank’s interim title. Nobody cares about that fight.
“People care about Charlo against a real name. Demetrius Andrade is that real name, who himself is just looking around wondering when his next opponent is going to materialize. This should be a no-brainer. Unfortunately, it is not.”
While Mannix and Mora believe the fight won’t happen because of Charlo, the latter feels there is a path to get to Andrade-Charlo.
“This reminds me of when Canelo was avoiding Erislandy Lara for so [long],” Mora said. “… He didn’t want to fight him. The only way that fight happened was when the fans forced that fight.
“And that’s what has to happen here for Charlo to fight Andrade. They are going to have to force that fight. They are going to have to shove that fight down his throat.
“They are going to have to overpay him that the promoters, the managers, and the fans are going to have to speak up and demand that fight.”
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