Never lacking confidence WBC super welterweight champion says he's the "best fighter at 154 hands down" as he eyes a unification bout with Jarrett Hurd.
WBC champion Jermell Charlo declared himself “the best fighter at 154 hands down” before his majority decision victory over former titleholder Austin Trout Saturday night at Staples Center in Los Angeles.
The 28-year-old Charlo (31-0, 15 KOs) will get an argument from unified counterpart Jarrett Hurd whose first title defense was a 10th-round TKO of Trout last October.
It was the first time that Trout had been stopped in his career, which included matches against Miguel Cotto, Canelo Alvarez, Erislandy Lara and Jermall Charlo, Charlo’s twin brother.
“I will definitely knock out Jermell Charlo, and in dramatic fashion,” said Hurd, who defeated Erislandy Lara by unanimous decision in a title unification match in April.
“Watching the fight (against Trout), I think Jermell won by a close unanimous decision, but he showed a lot of flaws. My coach [Nesto Rodriguez] says that I’ll stop Charlo in the 10th round, so the 10th round it is. Jermell Charlo will not make it 12 round with me. Trust me, I’ve got this.”
Charlo said Trout fought to survive.
“Trout will tell you who will win our fight. Trout moved, and that’s why he survived 12 rounds. If Hurd stands in front of me and takes those shots, he’s done. I’m the full package and the best fighter at 154 hands down. By the end of this year, the boxing world will know that.”
.@TwinCharlo wants to unify the division against @Swift_JHurd. pic.twitter.com/GWVWqzzT7d
— SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) June 10, 2018
Charlo vanquished his third consecutive lefty by beating Trout. It coincides with his move to trainer Derrick James, who also trains welterweight champion Errol Spence. Charlo often spars with Spence, who is a southpaw.
“Training camp was great with world champion Errol Spence,” Charlo said. “We had a bunch of undefeated fighters. I stopped a few, dropped a few, but that's not the name of the game.”
Spence makes his second defense against unbeaten Carlos Ocampo this Saturday at The Ford Center at The Star, in Frisco, Texas.
“We keep each other and our tools sharp and on point. It gets really competitive, especially when somebody gets hit hard,” said Spence. “At first, you’re going light, and then somebody gets cracked, and you’re like, ‘All right, it’s on, now.’ We dominate top-level competition. Who else is getting knockouts like us?”
Charlo also mentioned WBO counterpart Jamie Munguia, who dethroned Sadam Ali by fourth-round TKO last month.
“They’ve got Jarrett Hurd and a new guy [Mungia] who beat Sadam Ali for the WBO title, but Austin Trout would beat [Mungia]. I’m trying to get every belt at 154,” Charlo said.
“My stablemate [Spence] is at 147, and I know he wants to eventually touch that 154, so we’ll never fight each other. So with that being said, let me get what I can, right now, and then leave the weight class for him.”
For a closer look at Charlo vs Trout, check out our fight page.
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- Charlo vs Trout
- Jermell Charlo
