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There was a lot riding on Jermell Charlo’s performance on Saturday night against the great Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. Some of the sport’s experts like famed trainers Freddie Roach and Teddy Atlas expected an upset from the 33-year-old.
What instead happened was the usual dominant showing from the Mexican superstar, who eventually came out victorious via unanimous decision. And now, “Iron Man” is taking some heat for how he fought.
Terence Crawford blasts Jermell Charlo’s performance
Canelo dictated the pace throughout the 12 minutes of action and even scored a knockdown in round seven. Jermell Charlo, from his end, seemed to be a few steps behind for the most part.
After the dust settled, Charlo immediately took flak for how he fought. One of the vocal critics was undefeated and undisputed welterweight champion Terence Crawford.
“Bud” didn’t mince his words in his post-fight social media post.
Charlo admits to lack of aggressiveness against Canelo
During the press conference after the event, Jermell Charlo admitted to lacking aggressiveness.
“I could have been more aggressive,” he told reporters.
He did see some upsides, but ultimately, he felt he could’ve done better.
“I actually thought that when you’re in a squared circle… I felt like I was rotating pretty well, getting around. And I was able to actually catch a lot of shots with my gloves.
“I did rotate well. It was just about my attack, when it came down to after I rotated and got out of the shot. I blocked the shot, my return was my issue. And in my aggressiveness of going forward.”
Crawford shuts down Jermell Charlo fight
Despite the second loss in his career, Jermell Charlo was proud of his performance. He was eager to return to action and even had a name in mind for his next fight.
“I want to fight Terence Crawford. F—k that,” he told Jim Gray during the in-ring interview after the bout. “I could fight Terence Crawford in my weight division. I know he’s somewhere around this joint. I’ll fight Terence Crawford.
“Let him fight Errol Spence or whatever they got going on. Get that out of the way. I’m waiting. I’m about to get back right in training.
Crawford, however, showed no interest in a potential matchup.
The 36-year-old champion is coming off a ninth-round TKO win over Errol Spence in July. He kept his unblemished record intact at 40-0, along with the WBO welterweight title.
As for Charlo, he plans to go back to his home weight class at 154 pounds. After Saturday night, he dropped to a record of 35-2-1.
What’s next for Canelo Alvarez?
After a convincing win over Jermell Charlo, Canelo is already looking forward to Cinco de Mayo 2024, a date he’s looking at for his next bout. As for the opponent, the 33-year-old couldn’t care less.
“Whoever. I don’t care,” he said in his interview with Jim Gray. “We want to see who’s next. I don’t f–ng care.”
With a record of 60-2-2, Canelo isn’t showing signs of slowing down soon. He later professed his undying love for the sport.
“I still love boxing. I love boxing so f–ing much!” he said proudly. “Boxing is my life. Boxing made me the person I am today. Boxing is my life.
“I’m a strong fighter all the time. I’m a strong man. Nobody can beat this Canelo.”
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