BOXING
Charlo admits being “nervous” ahead of his fight with Canelo
The American boxer is making the final preparations for the biggest fight of his career after transforming his body to face the Mexican.
There are still two weeks to go for the mega bout with Saúl Álvarez, but Jermell Charlo feels like he is just hours away from fighting him.
Both fighters will collide at T-Mobile Arena, in Las Vegas, on September 30 at super middleweight, where Canelo’s four belts will be on the line.
Charlo knows there’s a lot at stake, as in the case of upsetting the favorite, he would become the second boxer to have ever been undisputed in two weight classes after Terence Crawford did it by becoming the king at welterweight by defeating Errol Spence Jr.
Moreover, in case he beats the Guadalajara native, he would also be granted another payday, as a rematch with Canelo would be the likeliest possibility, although he has repeatedly said that he would like to face Crawford next.
Jermell, nervous ahead of the fight
Jermell is known to be a dedicated fighter who does his best in every single fight. And obviously, that couldn’t be an exception for the fight against Álvarez.
Charlo may also be feeling the pressure of fighting who’s considered to be the cash cow of boxing, a fighter who could hurt him badly if he makes mistakes, as the bout will be taking place at Canelo’s natural weight.
“I’m nervous every fight. I’ve been nervous since I was younger, no lie. This is my life I’m putting on the line. I want to get out of there safe”, he said.
“Every fight, I’m nervous. I’m not shy because if I was shy, I wouldn’t be able to get in the ring. Of course, you want to make sure you do good and perform right. You want to look good while you’re fighting, put it all on the line, and make adjustments through adversity”, Charlo added.
Charlo is hungry and a victory over Canelo would translate into the biggest win of his career and a step forward toward being in the Hall of Fame in the future:
“I’m amongst the Hall of Fame already; I’m among the top. I’m daring to be great, and I’m going to be great, and that’s it. It would show never stop believing. It’s already written for me. So whatever happens, happens”, he stated.
It will be interesting to see how Charlo will deal with Canelo’s pressure and head movement. In his last two fights, Jermell had some trouble with Brian Castaño, a fighter who also likes going forward and being aggressive. This time, though, he will face a much bigger and stronger opponent two weight classes above than what he’s used to.
Canelo hasn’t looked great in his last fights, something he has been criticized for. Is he on a decline? Will Charlo be able to capitalize on that? Those questions will be answered at the end of the month, but both men seem more than ready to give their all to get theur hand raised in Las Vegas.