Jermell Charlo fought one elite opponent after another for eight or nine years. And he defeated all those with whom he fought.
The undisputed 154-pound champion avenged his close loss to slick Tony Harrison and his draw with belligerent Brian Castano by stopping both in rematches, no doubt about his advantage. Few fighters can match its level of success.
Charlo’s next legal challenge comes on January 28, when the 32-year-old Texan will face top-ranked Australian Tim Tszyu in Las Vegas (Showtime). He expected a similar result.
“I know that once I get to this point in my life, I’ll face nothing but the top guys,” Charlo said Wednesday on a Zoom call that featured the two. boxer. “That’s all I want. I don’t underestimate anyone, but Tim Tszyu is not of my caliber. His father did a lot in boxing, but my lineage is strong. My pedigree has been proven and predestined for many years.
“Tszyu is young and hungry but I am also young and hungry. I am at the peak of my life and I will challenge myself on January 28th.”
Tszyu (21-0, 15 KOs) is the newer addition to an exclusive club of top boxers.
Hall of Famer’s son Kostya Tszyu got his breakthrough in 2020, when he knocked out compatriot and Manny Pacquiao conqueror Jeff Horn in eight innings.
He’s on the verge of his biggest win, a unanimous decision over former US Olympian Terrell Gausha this past March in Minneapolis that gave him the holy grail of boxing opportunities, a blow into all four major titles in one match.
Where to go to find out exactly how good the 28-year-old from Sydney is on January 28, the same day his father stopped Jake Rodriguez to win his first title in 1995.
“When I was first informed of the appointment, I didn’t realize that it was also the day my father was fighting for his first world championship,” said the younger Tszyu. “I usually don’t believe in fate. I think destiny and fate are something that you have to work hard to achieve.
“For me, I feel that bloodline is not important. It’s about what you, yourself put into it. I’ve been keeping an eye on this fight for two years now. It was on my mind, and I researched and obsess over it. I pushed this hard.
“This is the test I need in my career. This is for me, kill or be killed.”
Of course, it was a test that Charlo believed Tszyu would fail. “Nobody was ready for me in my department,” he said. And Tszyu made a bold prediction that, “There will be a new king of the division on January 28.”
Both have reason to believe they are right.
