By Keith Idec
Jermell Charlo stressed Wednesday that he is fully focused on his upcoming title defense against Austin Trout.
When asked during a conference call if he has heard from British promoter Eddie Hearn about working together, Charlo confirmed that he has substantial offers from two promoters. Charlo didn’t mention Hearn by name, but said he’ll wait until after facing Trout to decide whether to accept either of those offers.
Houston’s Charlo (30-0, 15 KOs) and Trout (31-4, 17 KOs), of Las Cruces, New Mexico, are scheduled to fight for Charlo’s WBC super welterweight title June 9 at Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Hearn mentioned Jermell Charlo and his twin brother, Jermall, as two of his top targets after announcing his company, Matchroom Boxing USA, had agreed to a new nine-figure streaming partnership with Perform Group.
Bob Arum’s Top Rank Inc. also is looking to add top fighters to its stable now that that company has so many ESPN dates to fill. Jermell Charlo didn’t mention Arum by name, either.
“I’ve received, you know, two great contracts from two different promoters,” Jermell Charlo said. “You know, I don’t look at myself like a free agent. You know what I’m saying? I have a general to answer to and make sure that we agree upon the most. [The offers are] big, they’re large, they’re nice – bigger than the B.S. that one of the other boxers in the industry posted. And I’m glad that they’re looking at me as one of the faces of boxing. That’s the reason they’re coming to me like this. But that’s not something that’s on my mind right now. I’ve gotta definitely take care of this fight, and then I will worry myself with a promotional contract – if necessary. Right now, I’m not with a promoter.”
The “other boxer” to whom Charlo referred is Adrien Broner. The former four-division champion publicly turned down Hearn’s three-fight, $6.75 million offer last week and went as far as to call it a “#SlaveDeal” in an Instagram post.
The careers of the Charlo brothers have been guided by adviser Al Haymon for many years. They work without contractual ties to a promoter, but mostly have fought in recent years on cards promoted by Lou DiBella.
“I could be signing with Lions Only Promotions and ** the same amount of money I’m ** now, and I’m satisfied,” Charlo added Wednesday. “So a lot of these guys use money to try to bring these fighters in, but that’s not the route I’m going with. I’m going with who cares about my career the best and who cares the most about my career. I do believe that we need promoters and we do need PR teams and we do need managers, as a boxer. And therefore, we’re looking into enhancing our careers and the statements behind it.”
Jermell Charlo has recorded sensational knockouts in each of his last two fights. He knocked Dallas’ Charles Hatley unconscious in the sixth round 13 months at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, where he returned to knock out Orlando’s Erickson Lubin with one punch in the first round October 14.
Showtime will air the Charlo-Trout bout as the opener of a two-bout broadcast a week from Saturday night. The main event, a 12-round rematch, will pit WBA “super” featherweight champion Leo Santa Cruz (34-1-1, 19 KOs) against Abner Mares (31-2-1, 15 KOs).
2023-10-21 03:57:28
