By: Hans Themistode
Jermall Charlo is starting to get pissed off.
On numerous occasions, the WBC middleweight belt holder has called out high-level fighters across various divisions. From IBF 160 champion Gennadiy Golovkin to unified super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez, Charlo wants to take them all on.
Yet, no matter how loud he hoots and hollers about the fighters he wants to face, no one as of yet has taken him up on his offer. Fans, of course, would love to see the Houstonian face the very fighters he’s called out but have grown impatient as he attempts to lure them in the ring. Their impatience has led some of them to jump on Charlo’s case due to the lack of big names he’s faced thus far in his career.
To the surly knockout artist, he understands everyone’s frustration but in turn, he’s getting annoyed with everyone putting the blame on him.
“I’m not a matchmaker,” said Charlo on his Instagram live account. “I wish I could just fight whoever I want to fight.”
Amongst the countless names that Charlo (31-0, 22 KOs) has called out, one name that has stuck out is former WBC super-middleweight belt holder David Benavidez. Unlike Alvarez, Golovkin and others that have chosen to flat out ignore Charlo, Benavidez has welcomed a possible showdown against him with open arms.
With both fighters campaigning at different weights however, fans have looked at a possible matchup between the pair as more of a pipe dream. But while Benavidez has no intentions of moving down to 160 pounds and with Charlo not fully ready to move eight pounds north, the middleweight titlist has offered to make things fair by meeting up somewhere in the middle.
“I campaign at 160, Benavidez is at 168. I want to fight the mother f*cker. Meet up somewhere, I’m with it.”
Presently, Benavidez is in the midst of training camp as he prepares to return to the ring on March 13th, against fringe contender Ronald Ellis. Assuming he walks away with the victory, both Charlo and Benavidez could be heading towards a collision course sometime soon.