Glance at the Showtime schedule of fights for the remainder of 2020 and your eyes are likely to focus on a specific date: Sept. 26.
That’s when the Charlo twins headline an unusual, split-session pay-per-view show behind closed doors at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. Here are the featured fights on the show, which will be divided into two four-fight cards – separated by a break – on the same day for same price.
No decision has been made as to the order in which the Charlos will fight.
Card A:
- Jermell Charlo vs. Jeison Rosario in a junior middleweight title-unification bout.
- Mario Barrios vs. Ryan Karl for Barrios’ junior welterweight title.
- Daniel Roman vs. TBA in a junior featherweight bout.
Card B:
- Jermall Charlo vs. Sergiy Derevyanchenko for Charlo’s middleweight belt.
- Brandon Figueroa vs. Damien Vazquez for Figueroa’s junior featherweight title.
- Diego Magdaleno vs. Isaac Cruz in a lightweight bout.
That lineup brings back memories of the legendary Don King pay-per-view cards of a generation or two ago.
“You have to go back to the marathon Don King pay-per-views of the 1980s,” said Stephen Espinoza, president of sports and event programming for Showtime Networks Inc. “And even those events, 30, 40 years ago, you didn’t see the array of talent you’ll see on Sept. 26.
“Jermell and Jermall are in arguably the toughest fights of their careers. That’s the crown jewel of the schedule right now.”
Espinoza answered questions in a virtual news conference shortly after the schedule was officially announced Wednesday morning.
One question posed to him centered on the timing of the pay-per-view show. Many people in the country are struggling economically as a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, which could affect the buy rate.
Espinoza didn’t reveal the price of the pay-per-view other than to say it will be comparable to previous shows.
“A lot of people are being squeezed financially,” he said. “That was one of the motivating factors in structuring it the way we did. We tried to provide not just value … but more value than you’ve seen on any recent pay-per-view.
“The reality is that pay-per-view is a tool to help fights happen that wouldn’t otherwise happen. We understand the financial pressure here. We feel this is a great value … and we think the market will respond.”
The combination of two compelling Charlo fights on one card is a strong selling point, particularly when combined with two more world title fights.
Jermell Charlo (33-1, 17 KOs) and Rosario (20-1-1, 14 KOs) are two of the hottest fighters in the world.
Charlo, who holds one 154-pound title, is coming off a sensational 11th-round knockout of slick Tony Harrison to avenge an earlier points loss and regain his title. Rosario shocked the boxing world by stopping the highly respected Julian Williams in five rounds to win two belts in his most-recent fight.
“All I expect is for me to get that win, dominatingly,” said Charlo, who believes he was robbed in his first fight with Harrison. “… I won’t leave it up to the judges. I learned that in the past. I have to win very dominatingly or win by knockout.”
Jermall Charlo (30-0, 22 KOs) holds a 160-pound title but has been criticized for less-than-elite opposition. That shouldn’t be a problem against Derevyanchenko (13-2, 10 KOs).
The Ukrainian, who reportedly had around 400 amateur fights, pushed Daniel Jacobs to the limit in a split-decision loss in 2018 and gave Gennadiy Golovkin as much hell as Canelo Alvarez did in a close, unanimous-decision setback last October. Some believe he deserved the decision.
Jermall Charlo believes some fans will still find fault in a victory over Derevyanchenko but also thinks it will set up potential fights with Alvarez and Triple-G.
“[A victory] lets people know I’m ready for the big fights, ones against Canelo and Golovkin,” Jermall Charlo said. “[Derevyanchenko] has been in with tough competition but he’s lost both times. People will still doubt me. That’s part of boxing.
“[Still] this is a step up for me, I guess, in the eyes of some people. I’m ready to fight.”