Earlier this month, Jermall Charlo kept his perfect record intact and captured his first world title by ravaging veteran 154-pound champ Cornelius Bundrage via a vicious third-round technical knockout.
Jermell Charlo has taken on 26 opponents so far in his pro career, and 26 times he's had his hand raised in victory.
Now it’s twin brother Jermell Charlo’s turn to try to vanquish a veteran former champ, extend his unbeaten record and march closer to his own title shot when he faces Joachim Alcine (35-7-2, 21 KOs) on October 31 (NBCSN, 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT). The bout will take place at NRG Arena in Houston, not far from the Charlos’ hometown of Richmond, Texas.
“This is a good fight against a former world champion,” Jermell Charlo (26-0, 11 KOs) said of Alcine. “He’s experienced and he’s been in the ring with multiple world champions.
“I'm not taking anything away from him, but Houston is my town. I’ve been anticipating another fight here. I’m ready to go, and I’m going to put on a great show."
The Premier Boxing Champions card also will feature another rising 154-pound contender in Tony Harrison (21-1, 18 KOs), who will square off against Cecil McCalla (20-2, 7 KOs) in the co-main event.
Charlo, who attended his brother’s dismantling of Bundrage on September 12, is coming off arguably his toughest, yet most impressive, victory to date. Facing veteran Vanes Martirosyan—who brought a 35-1 record into the ring—Charlo won a narrow 10-round unanimous decision on March 28 in Las Vegas.
It was Charlo’s fourth consecutive win by unanimous decision, the others coming during a busy 2014 in which he impressively took down three foes who had a combined record of 54-13-1. In fact, going back to the start of 2013, the 25-year-old has defeated seven opponents who entered the ring with a cumulative mark of 184-19.
Such a statistic isn’t likely to frighten Alcine on Halloween night, as his 16-year professional résumé includes a 168-pound world title won in 2007 and a 2011 majority-decision victory over current 160-pound champ David Lemieux.
The 39-year-old native of Haiti fought former title contender Delvin Rodriguez to a 10-round split draw in his last fight, in May 2014 in Montreal, near Alcine’s current home in Laval, Quebec, Canada.
“I am so excited for this opportunity to compete against a young, strong fighter like Jermell Charlo,” Alcine said. “I don't think he’s faced a fighter with my level of experience in big fights.
“I am not going to make it easy for him. I am going to challenge Charlo like he never has been before.”
In the co-main event, Harrison will be looking to bounce back from the first loss of his pro career, a ninth-round TKO against Willie Nelson on July 11. That setback snapped a sensational streak in which the 25-year-old from Detroit racked up 10 consecutive stoppages.
McCalla entered 2015 with a 20-0 record, but he’s ended up on the wrong end of two close decisions this year, falling to Chris van Heerden in January (split decision) and Ishe Smith in April (unanimous decision).
The 5-foot-10 McCalla, who had nearly 100 amateur fights, will be giving up three inches in height to the younger Harrison.
