Keeping it all in the family

Jermell, who is younger-by-a-minute than Jermall, goes by the nickname “The Iron Man,” and Jermall dons the moniker of “The Hit Man.” The twins—who were born in Lafayette, Louisiana, and raised in Houston—were 8 years old when their father, Kevin, a former amateur boxer, first took them to the gym as a way to offer them a positive, disciplined environment.

Both siblings competed in football and basketball in high school, but they kept gravitating toward boxing. Jermell didn’t take long to make an impact as an amateur, winning a bronze medal at the 2005 junior Olympics at the age of 15 after only two years of involvement.

After posting a record of 56-8, Charlo turned to the professional ranks as a 17-year-old in the winter of 2007 while Jermall continued on as an amateur with hopes of competing in the 2008 Olympics.

Fighting for family

Charlo’s career began with a four-round unanimous decision over previously unbeaten Corey Sommerville, whom he floored in the third round on December 8, 2007.

Elijah Charlo was born on August 22, 2009, within hours of his father’s unanimous decision victory over Vito Gasparyan, which improved him to 9-0 (4 KOs).

“My son was born during the weigh-ins, so I had to make weight, and then go and be with my son after the weigh-ins,” said Charlo. “My father cut the umbilical cord for my son, because I wasn’t actually there. So he was born, then, I went and won the fight. That was a situation where there could have been a lot of adversity.”

Building the Resume

Abdon Alonzo was unbeaten in six fights when Charlo stopped him in two rounds on December 12, 2009, rising to 10-0 with five knockouts. Luis Grajeda was 10-0-1 with seven knockouts, four of them in the first round, when Charlo scored a unanimous decision over him on November 12, 2010.

Francisco Santana was 12-2-1 with five knockouts on October 7, 2011 when he was all but shut out over eight rounds by Charlo. Santana had previously lost a pair of decisions to then-unbeaten Karim Mayfield and battled to a draw with undefeated Julian Williams. Charlo then registered third- and fifth-round stoppages of Chris Chatman (10-1-1, five KOs) and Denis Douglin (14-1, 8 KOs), who were knocked out for the first and second times in their careers on March 24, 2012 and June 23, 2012.

On January 26, 2013, Charlo scored an eighth-round knockout over previously once-beaten Harry Joe Yorgey followed by a UD win on June 8 2013 over Demetrius Hopkins—the nephew of multi-division champion Bernard Hopkins.

“Yorgey was a major move in my career. He was 25-1,” said Charlo. “Then you have Demetrius Hopkins. I had to have surgery before that fight because the commission said that my vision was so bad that I was legally blind.”

A unanimous decision over two-time title challenger Gabriel Rosado on January 25, 2014 represented another huge step for Charlo. Next came a UD win on May 24, 2014 over previously once-beaten Charlie Ota, followed by another decision on December 13, 2014 over Mario Alberto Lozano, the latter stepping in after undefeated WBO 154-pound titleholder Demetrius Andrade had pulled out due to monetary issues.

“I was knocked down by Ota in the beginning stages,” said Charlo. “That was the first time that I got knocked down in my career.”

Charlo won his next fight on March 28, 2015 by unanimous decision over title challenger Vanes Martirosyan, who had battled to a draw with titleholder Erislandy Lara. Martirosyan’s only other loss was by decision to Andrade, whom he dropped in the first round.

Making History

After knocking out former champion Joachim Alcine in the sixth round on October 31, 2015, Charlo decided to leave longtime trainer Ronnie Shields — also Jermall’s corner man — to work with Derrick James, who also trains 147-pound champion Errol Spence Jr.

That set up a history-making eighth-round stoppage of John Jackson for the WBC’s vacant 154-pound title on May 21, 2016 at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. On the same card, Jermall followed his brother’s victory with a unanimous decision win over former titleholder Austin Trout and the siblings became the first twins to reign concurrently in the same division at the same time.

“We did it,” Jermell said. “We made history. We’ve been boxing for all these years, and it had to happen.”

Jermall added: “It was great being the first twins to win titles in the same division, and I’m so proud of my brother. I knew he could get the job done.”

Southpaw Stalker

The first and second title defenses were sixth and first-round stoppages of Charles Hatley and Erickson Lubin on April 22, 2017 and October 14, 2017—representing Charlo’s third and fourth knockouts in the past four years vs southpaws. Charlo made his third defense on June 9, 2018 when he defeated Austin Trout, a left-handed former 154-pound champion, by majority decision—which included a pair of knockdowns.

“I went to fish, I tried to get some trout but I couldn’t catch him on the hook,” Charlo said. “I know they’re used to seeing me knock boys out but at least they saw me take care of business.

Trout, who also lost a unanimous decision to Jermall in May 2016, said the Charlo twins are taking over the sport.

“Both Jermall and Jermell are really good. They are the future.”

OVERCOMING ADVERSITY

On December 22, 2018, Charlo took on dangerous former world title challenger Tony Harrison at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Charlo stalked while Harrison boxed on the outside. The bout ended up going the full 12 rounds. All three judges scored the bout in favor of Harrison by scores of 116-112 and two 115-113 cards.

The decision was met with a Bronx cheer from the Big Apple crowd who thought the champion should have retained his title.

“They took that fight from me,” said Charlo, who threw and landed more according to punch stats. “I was pressing the action. He didn’t win that fight. I’m going to get my belts back. I still want Jarrett Hurd. I know my brother knows I won that fight. I might have given away a few rounds, but I won that fight.”

The rematch was set for June 23, 2019. However, when Harrison was forced to pull out due to an ankle injury suffered in camp, veteran slugger Jorge Cota stepped in. Bouncing back from the first loss of his career, Charlo turned in one of the most explosive performances of the career, flattening Cota with a right hand in the third round.

"I want to give a thank you and a congratulations to Jorge even though he took the defeat,” Charlo said afterward. “He stepped into the ring. The guy that proclaims the title backed out of the fight and [Cota] was the one who stepped into the ring as fast as he did."

Champion Once More

Saturday, December 21, 2019, was a day of redemption for Jermell Charlo. That was when he took on Tony Harrison in a highly anticipated rematch. Charlo promised a KO. He delivered, dropping Harrison once in the second with a left hook and again in the 11th with that same punch. Harrison would go down twice more during the stanza, the last of which forced referee Jack Reiss to mercifully end the bout at 2:28 of the eleventh. 

“I got that belt. It took me a while, and got in the 11th and I didn’t leave it up to the judges,” a jubilant Charlo said afterward. “Tony is a former champion, and he came to fight. He had a lot on the line. He had pressure on him. I did what I had to do.

“I dictated, I dominated and I knocked him out.”

THE GREAT Jermell Charlo

Charlo's unbelievable run at 154-pounds continued on September 26, 2020, as he took on WBA/IBF World 154-pound Champion Jeison Rosario in an epic unification on SHOWTIME pay-per-view. Rosario was coming off a stunning TKO win over the highly-regarded Julian Williams in January. The winner would leave with three world titles. 

What was expected to be a war turned into another sterling performance by Charlo. He was incredibly impressive, dropping Rosario three times, once in the first, the sixth and the eighth, the final one a  downward left jab to the body that sent Rosario writhing in pain on the canvas and ended the fight at 0:21 of that round. 

“I knew (Rosario) would keep coming, and he did, he pressed on for four or five extra rounds, before I was able to floor him again,” said Charlo, who unified the WBA, WBC and IBF belts. “I’m growing and I realize the knockout just come. I definitely proved I’m more than just a puncher, but I proved that I am a puncher.

In the first round, Charlo came out throwing wide punches. One shot, according to referee Harvey Dock, clipped Rosario. Dock ruled Rosario was knocked down with a left hook in the first half of the round. A glancing Charlo left did bounce off the top of Rosario’s head, though a replay showed Rosario’s right foot falling outside of the ring, causing the knockdown.

Rosario nailed Charlo with a couple of left hooks in the second. Charlo seemed content on boxing in the third, staying at a safe distance, pecking away from the outside. With 0:57 left in the third, Dock warned Rosario to keep his punches up, as Charlo looked irked by a left hook on the hip.

Charlo resorted back to the jab again in the fourth. Rosario dug to the body with the left hook. “Banana” also began using his jab more consistently, backing up Charlo.

At 1:41 left in the sixth, Dock stopped the action for another low-blow warning to Rosario. Moments later, Charlo responded, nailing Rosario with a flush left hook to the face that was a legitimate knockdown.

Rosario returned to his corner in a wobbly, unstable state.

Charlo showed patience in the seventh. Knowing he was in control, the poised Charlo poked long jab to Rosario’s solar plexus, and the former WBA/IBF champ fell backwards, struggling to rise and wearing a look of agony as Dock reached 10.

“I never saw anything like that before,” Charlo said.

An Epic Battle for the Undisputed Crown

There was still one belt left out there and Charlo was determined to possess them all. On July 17, 2021, he took on unbeaten WBO champion Brian Castano in a battle for the first ever undisputed 154-pound champion in the four-belt era. 

In an epic battle between two of boxing’s elite, Charlo and Castano battled to a 12-round split decision draw.

Both Charlo (34-1-1, 18 KOs) and Castaño (17-0-2, 12 KOs) laid it all on the line in their quest to become the first ever undisputed 154-pound champion in the four-belt era.

“Shout out to San Antonio for coming through. The win is what I wanted to hear,” said Charlo. “I won this fight. I hurt him way more than he did to me. Castaño is a real warrior. But my power is serious at this weight division.

Both champions flashed their power early on. Castaño was staggered by a counter left hook in the second. He returned the favor in the third, buckling Charlo with his own left hook toward the end of the frame.

Houston’s Charlo found success in the middle rounds by boxing and moving from the outside. Castaño was just as effective when he was able to maneuver Charlo toward the ropes and unload rapid-fire combinations. The Argentine kept Charlo on the defensive for much of the ninth, focusing his attack to the body.

Immediately after that round, Charlo trainer Derrick James implored his fighter to pick up the pace. Charlo responded with his best round in the 10th, bouncing off the ropes with a left hook that left Castaño on shaky legs for much of the stanza. In the penultimate round, Charlo picked up where he left off, landing more big shots on a tentative Castaño.

“My coach told me I needed the knockout in the ninth round and I just knew he knew what he was talking about,” said Charlo. “I trust my coach. This comes with boxing – wins, losses and draws.”

THE UNDISPUTED KING

Following their thrilling first encounter, Charlo and Castano would meet again on May 14, 2022 and, this time, history was made. Charlo again showed he’s the master of the rematch as he picked up the WBO title with a dramatic tenth-round KO of Castano to become the first ever undisputed male 154-pound champion in the four-belt era, live on SHOWTIME from Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson. The bout, which was another Fight of the Year-type encounter, headlined a Premier Boxing Champions event before an announced crowd of 7,406. 

The end came when Charlo (35-1-1, 18 KOs) dropped Castaño with a short, left hook as he was fighting off the ropes with around a minute left in the tenth. Castaño (17-1-2, 12 KOs) rose on unsteady legs and was allowed to continue and Charlo jumped on him, landing a vicious left to the head and body that caused Castaño to collapse and referee Jerry Cantu to wave off the bout at 2:33 of the tenth.

Saturday’s ending was reminiscent of the way Charlo closed his fight with Tony Harrison in their 2019 rematch when he KO’d Harrison in the 11th round after Harrison dethroned him in 2018.

“This is legacy,” Charlo said in the ring afterward. “This is something that is legendary. I’m a legend. I knew Castaño was going to give it his all. I knew I had trained very, very hard but you all can see that I came in at 152 pounds because I was really in shape, and I wanted to make sure that this was my fight."

Expecting Castaño to fight aggressively and apply pressure, Charlo boxed effectively off his back foot, utilizing a hard jab and a counter-left that repeatedly found its target, none more violently than the final moments of the match. 

Just like the first match, Castaño again landed a number of overhand rights and was successful in spots with his constant pressure. The fight was again fought at a torrid pace with both fighters hurting the other. But just like in the first fight, when Charlo gathered strength as the fight went on and won the final three rounds on all the judges’ scorecards, Charlo again wrested control of the bout in the late stages on Saturday.

“I listened to my corner this time,” he said. “I got in my bag around the seventh round. I started sitting down a little bit more instead of boxing so much and moving around. I saw that he was wearing down a little bit and I was breaking him down. I just saw my punches being more effective. I get stronger in the later rounds if they didn’t know.”

Always in search of greater challenges, Charlo would move up two divisions in his next bout, challenging undisputed super middleweight king and future Hall of Famer Canelo Alvarez Saturday, September 30, 2023, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. 

Charlo fought valiantly but it wasn't to be as Alvarez won a wide 12-round unanimous decision. 

“I just felt like I wasn’t me in there,” said Charlo. “I don’t make excuses for myself, so it is what it is. I take my punches and roll with it. It’s boxing. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.

“Truthfully, I could feel the difference in the weight. I picked up 14 pounds. I am undisputed in my weight division. You fall short sometimes, but you just have to keep on pushing. My roll don’t stop right here. I’m proud of myself. He hit me with some hard shots. I thought I got mine off. I’m the little Charlo and I represent that.”