Terence Crawford says he’s no longer concerned with Jermell Charlo.

Terence Crawford says he’s no longer concerned with Jermell Charlo, and that he’s removed his longtime media rival from his “hit list.”

This came after Crawford told Charlo he “should be ashamed of himself” for his performance against Canelo Alvarez on Saturday night, after which Charlo once again called out Crawford.

“OK, y’all, I’m over Jermell Charlo,” Crawford wrote on social media. “He’s no longer on my hit list. He went out there and laid down and let Canelo spank him like he was his daddy with no type of resistance.”

“Congratulations, Canelo, you made the so-called lion look like a baby cub,” he added in another post.

Crawford (40-0, 31 KO) and Charlo (35-2-1, 19 KO) should still be expected to keep talking, more likely than not. Charlo probably will have something to say about this, at any rate, and then on we’ll go.

In the meantime, Crawford’s name is being thrown out there for a potential fight with Canelo in 2024, and he does still have to figure out the Errol Spence Jr rematch situation, whether it will happen or not, at what weight, and so on.

Charlo plans to return to the 154 lb division, where for the time being, he still holds the WBC, WBA, and IBF titles.

Would Canelo vs Crawford make sense in 2024, and how likely is it?

Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford are both coming off of completely dominant wins in big event, big money, undisputed championship fights. Last night, Canelo routed Jermell Charlo, and in late July, Crawford decimated Errol Spence Jr.

Now, there are some people asking the question: Should Canelo and Crawford fight in 2024? Maybe you’re a diehard boxing fan and you’re already letting all the steam shoot out of your ears about the “casuals” you hate so much. But hang with me here. We’ll get to it.

To start, Canelo did field a question about Crawford last night at his post-fight presser, and he left it open.

“I always say if the fight makes sense, why not? But he’s not in the plan,” Canelo said. “If it makes sense, maybe. I don’t know right now.”

I feel you. I sense you still being mad. Veins in your neck bulging. So let’s start with the “cons” in the pros and cons thing. Relax, man, it’s gonna be OK.

Cons

Size

The biggest, most obvious problem with the Canelo vs Crawford idea is that Canelo fights at 168 lbs and Terence Crawford at 147 lbs. Those 21 lbs may not seem like the most massive difference, but they are. It’s enormous.

Even truly great fighters have their limits in size, and it’s why we have weight classes.

In recent memory, Floyd Mayweather probably could have picked up some paper title or other as a middleweight at 160, but he never went there, because he’d fought at 154 and knew that was his limit. He wasn’t quite himself, but he was still great — and pushing it.

Oscar De La Hoya did, controversially, pick up a paper title at 160, then fought Bernard Hopkins and got crushed with a body shot, and never went back to that weight. Manny Pacquiao did one single fight over 147 lbs, a 150 lb catchweight against a cooked Antonio Margarito. Pacquiao dominated the fight, but admitted it was just too big of a weight for him to truly be Manny Pacquiao. And we’re talking three (3) lbs on the scale there.

Canelo (60-2-2, 39 KO) also is not going to fight under 168 lbs again, no matter the opponent. The last time he did so was to fight Daniel Jacobs in May 2019, and he’d already flirted with moving up to 168 by then. He’s still the biggest star in the sport, nobody dictates terms to Canelo Alvarez.

Since that Jacobs bout, Canelo has had nine fights, seven at 168 and two up at 175 in the light heavyweight division. Terence Crawford has never fought over 147, and he is 36 years old, three years older than Canelo. Canelo started his career as a 140 lb fighter, yes, but he was 15 years old.

Crawford will, at some point, likely move up to 154. Maybe even 160. But Canelo’s not going to go under 168, and 168 is huge for Crawford, a guy who started his career and won his first world title at 135.

Timing

Canelo has a three-fight deal with PBC, with one already in the can. It’s expected he’ll fight in May and September again in 2024 to fulfill that deal. Crawford just worked with PBC for the first time, but would he be ready to jump to 168 in a year, and will he even still be working with PBC?

Canelo’s most likely May opponent is David Benavidez, provided Benavidez beats Demetrius Andrade in the fall. If Andrade beats Benavidez, he might finally get that Canelo fight he’s been begging for for years now. Listen, if Canelo can promote his side of a fight with, “Jermell Charlo once said, I think, that he didn’t respect my skills,” well, there’s a lot more old Andrade material to pull than that.

Also looming on the PBC side could be Jermall Charlo, if he gets back in the ring. He’d be more likely for the September 2024 fight. Jermall is a complete wild card, but there’s obviously story there now, a brother looking for family revenge.

Terence Crawford is not an idiot, either. This is not a guy who has rushed head-first into things, and he’d want time to acclimate himself and properly move up if he was even going to consider trying it for real. Can Terence do that in a year’s time? Right now, he has to either do an Errol Spence Jr rematch or wriggle his way out of that by presenting weight terms — it’s his call — that Spence doesn’t accept.

A Spence rematch would be either 154 or 147. That’s going to take up a chunk of time, probably even if it doesn’t happen, just through back-and-forth between the camps. If it’s 154, that would be helpful for Crawford. But it’s still 14 lbs below 168, and as Jermell Charlo found out, that ain’t nothin’.

Crawford (40-0, 31 KO) also doesn’t sound like he plans to fight forever. He’s realistic about both his age and the danger of boxing, period, and especially if you hang around too long past your peak. He’s made good and great money for quite a while now. How many more fights will he even have?

Pros

Money

Listen, man, it’s potentially a huge fight. Boxing is a business well before it’s a sport by any head-on comparison to other professional sports. And we’re talking the potential for a lot of money.

If Canelo were to win in May, and Crawford gets the Spence rematch or whatever done within that same sort of time frame, there will be money out there for Canelo vs Crawford. A ton of it. It may “make sense.” A whole lot of sense.

Those two short paragraphs can completely out-weigh everything in the “cons” section.

Legacy

Crawford is very ambitious. If he looks at Canelo and sees a guy he truly believes he can beat, if he bulks up in the gym and feels good sparring and all that, there’s a good chance that someone as great as Terence Crawford will say, “I can beat that guy. And what an incredible addition to my resume that would be.”

Crawford is already locked for the Hall of Fame, so is Canelo. There’s no question about that. (If you think there is, please remember that Barry McGuigan and Arturo Gatti and Tim Bradley are in the Hall of Fame; the standard is not Muhammad Ali and Joe Louis and Sugar Ray Robinson and never has been.)

Canelo is also ambitious, and does care about his legacy. But “legacy” and achievements can also be spun a lot of ways in boxing. I mean, look, Mario Barrios will today claim he is a “two-time” world champion after winning a secondary WBA belt at 140 and last night, a WBC interim belt at 147. Technically, he will have his claim. In reality, nobody much takes it seriously.

But if Canelo sees a guy in Terence Crawford who is undefeated, one of the biggest stars in the sport, a generational great fighter like himself, who has gone undisputed in two divisions and, potentially by then, won world titles in four divisions (it’s currently three), he can turn that into “legacy” real easy.

And the truth is, a lot of people out there will believe it. The people yelling on the internet, including all of us, do not comprise the bulk of boxing’s fan base.

Timing

“Wow, what a clever turn from you,” you’re saying to me. Timing as a con and a pro?

Say Canelo fights and beats David Benavidez in May. What else do you want to see from him at 168? Say Dmitry Bivol or Artur Beterbiev won’t or can’t fight him at 175, is there a fight you really want to see at that weight? He’s already won a belt at 175, there’s nothing basic to do there.

He’s flirted with the idea of cruiserweight already, but are you really that pumped to see Canelo vs Badou Jack over Canelo vs Terence Crawford? Does the Jermall Charlo idea really get you that excited?

And for Crawford, say he beats Spence again, or whatever he does next. What is there at 147 or 154 you really want? Boots Ennis, sure, and I hear you, but Bud doesn’t seem that interested in doing that fight. Take it as you will, but Ennis doesn’t have the star power he wants to close his career with big fights.

So yeah, the timing and situations for both guys, depending on how certain things break, could make Canelo vs Crawford the absolute most attractive idea for both fighters by next summer.

Should the fight happen?

Boxing just does not work like other sports. If the money is there and the timing is right, absolutely, Canelo vs Crawford can happen in 2024.

Should it? That’s a totally different question, and one for the internet yelling, the diehard fans and the pundits, who will still be talking about the fight three weeks later, unlike the majority who make it worth all that cash.

As it stands now, I have a hard time seeing it as a great fight, and I think Terence Crawford is the best boxer in the world pound-for-pound, with the only argument coming from Naoya Inoue, not today’s Canelo Alvarez.

But there is the part of me that would be intrigued to see it, of course. It’s two great fighters. Two guys who want to go down as all-timers. And two guys who want to be called the best of the best in their time.

Just as a fan, I’m clearly conflicted.

Would I be surprised if we get it?

No. And you shouldn’t be either. This is boxing.

DAZN leads the way with a solid Saturday doubleheader on this week’s schedule!

Highlights

• We’ve got a DAZN doubleheader on Saturday! From the UK, Leigh Wood defends his featherweight belt against Josh Warrington, and then later from Las Vegas, Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez takes on Joe Smith Jr in a cruiserweight main event!
• A world title fight in Quebec! Various other shows!

Tuesday, Oct. 3

FITE, 8:00 pm ET, Country Box: Where Music Meets Boxing.

Wednesday, Oct. 4

ProBox TV, 8:00 pm ET, Pablo Cesar Cano vs Zachary Ochoa. My God, it’s “Zungry”! And a Cano sighting! ProBox — which, again, is free for anyone to watch now — appear to be deep in their “oh, wow, that guy’s still around” era, and past their initial, very hopeful mission statement. I think John will be here. Let’s say yes for now. He can correct me if not. BLH will have live updates and coverage.

Thursday, Oct. 5

DAZN and Social Media, 8:00 am ET, Wood vs Warrington press conference.

DAZN and Social Media, TBA, Zurdo vs Smith press conference.

Friday, Oct. 6

BT Sport (UK), TBA, Masood Abdulah vs Marc Leach. This or Ellis Zorro vs Luca D’Ortenzi or Willy Hutchinson vs TBA are the main event. It’s a Queensberry B-show.

DAZN and Social Media, 8:00 am ET, Wood vs Warrington weigh-in.

DAZN and Social Media, TBA, Zurdo vs Smith weigh-in.

Saturday, Oct. 7

DAZN and Social Media, TBA, Wood vs Warrington prelims.

DAZN, 2:00 pm ET, Leigh Wood vs Josh Warrington. Wood puts his WBA featherweight title on the line against Warrington, with the two meeting in Sheffield, basically the exact midway point between Nottingham (Wood) and Leeds (Warrington). Terri Harper defends a 154 lb belt and another vacant one is on the line against Cecilia Braekhus, plus more! BLH will have live updates and coverage.

FITE PPV, 7:00 pm ET, Evelyn Bermudez vs Kim Clavel. Bermudez defends her IBF and WBO 108 lb titles against Clavel, whom ESPN were briefly fascinated with because her day job is a nurse. She was soundly beaten by Yesica Nery Plata in a challenge for the WBC and WBA titles this past January, won a stay-busy style fight in May, and now goes for it again. She should be considered an underdog, even at home; Nery beat her at the same Quebec venue. ESPN appear to have lost interest with that defeat, too. But it’s not a bad fight. Clavel is a contender, and she has solid promotional backing, which is rare for women’s fighters who aren’t with Matchroom or Jake Paul, to be honest.

DAZN, 8:00 pm ET, Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez vs Joe Smith Jr. Both main eventers are moving up to cruiserweight here, with Zurdo having embarrassingly flunked making light heavyweight for a scrapped fight with Gabe Rosado earlier this year, and Smith simply out of title avenues at 175. I like this fight and think it could be a damn fun one as well as just solid matchmaking. Not much for an undercard, but an undercard there shall be! BLH will have live updates and coverage.

Canelo Alvarez said he feels in his prime again after beating Jermell Charlo.

Canelo Alvarez successfully defended his undisputed super middleweight championship in Las Vegas, routing Jermell Charlo over 12 rounds.

Canelo (60-2-2, 39 KO) said that he feels as though he’s “back,” shaking off injuries that led to some substandard performances in recent outings.

He also said at his post-fight press conference that he doesn’t know that Charlo (35-2-1, 19 KO) really ever tried to win the fight.

“I think that happens with a lot of fighters. That’s not in my mind, to just survive,” he said. “I’m not that way. But I did my job. I think he never did anything to win. (My plan was to) neutralize everything he’d come with. He’s a counter-puncher with the left hand, and I tried to not get hit.”

Canelo also said he was not disappointing by not delivering a knockout.

“You fight 12 rounds and try to show you’re the best, that’s what I did. You’ve got to give Charlo credit, he’s an undisputed champion in his division for a reason. That’s how the fight went,” he said.

“Charlo is a savvy fighter, one that can move around the ring. Sometimes you win by knockout, sometimes you win by decision. I did my job.”

More from Canelo Alvarez

“I did what I was supposed to do, and I feel great.”

On Terence Crawford’s name coming up as an opponent: “I always say if the fight makes sense, why not? But he’s not in the plan. ... If it makes sense, maybe. I don’t know right now. Let me enjoy this fight, and then you’ll know for sure.”

On feeling like himself again: “I think this is Canelo. I’m back. Finally, I’m back. I feel confident right now, I feel great. I didn’t feel like this for a long time, but now I’m back.”

On the knockdown: “I was working the body the whole fight, and then I changed my punch and that’s what happened.”

On whether he showed what he wanted: “Yeah, I would love to do more, but I had a great fighter in front of me and he did his job. He moved a lot. But I’m happy with what I did in the fight.”

“I feel in my prime, I feel fresh, and I’m ready.”

On future plans: “I’ll sit down with Al Haymon and the rest of my team. Nothing is decided yet.”

Jermell Charlo gave Canelo full respect for his win, and talked a bit more about Terence Crawford

Jermell Charlo came up well short tonight, losing a clear 12-round decision to Canelo Alvarez as he challenged for Canelo’s undisputed super middleweight championship in Las Vegas.

Charlo (35-2-1, 19 KO) said he was proud of his effort in defeat, and gave Canelo (60-2-2, 39 KO) full credit for his win.

“Canelo’s a motherfucking beast. He’s an ox,” Charlo said at the post-fight press conference. “Maybe I felt that more because of the fact that it was my first time in this division. I wish I could have gained a little more weight in between the weigh-in and (the fight), but I can’t control my body. But I’m glad that I was in there with him.”

He did not shy away from some criticisms of his performance, admitting he could have been more aggressive, and that he “never got to a point where I could get into my bag like I wanted to, truthfully.”

Charlo also addressed his in-ring call-out of Terence Crawford, and said that fight will be “on his radar.”

“I think he’s already probably been on Twitter lip-wrestling with the internet just to get some clout, some fans, and that’s fine,” he said of Crawford. “But he’s a champion, he’s great at what he does, and my brother Errol’s gotta get it on with him. He wants his (win) back, and that’s what boxing is about.

“In due time, you guys will be completely entertained, and maybe I’ll talk a little bit more shit, because that’s what you all want from me. Terence Crawford’s been talking shit, so it’s gonna bring out a different animal in me. I don’t know which animal. (laughing) But yeah, man, I could fight Terence Crawford.”

Crawford had, indeed, already been on Twitter, saying that Charlo “didn’t try to win” and “should be ashamed of himself.”

More from Jermell Charlo

“Shit, what a night. I’m proud of myself. I took a chance, jumped out there strong right off a hand injury. I was out there with one of the best guys on boxing. My head is held high. I’m proud of myself, I’ve done an awesome job for Lions Only, for my crew and my team. I love boxing, so I’m not going nowhere.

On Canelo’s strength: “You can’t just charge at any fighter. His power did play a (part), but it wasn’t too dominant to where I couldn’t have come forward, and I should have come forward a little bit more in this fight. But I’m a human and I get tired, and like I said, I felt some of his punches.”

On his weight in the ring: “(Another) five lbs possibly (could have made a difference). I felt the same strength he normally has, like we usually see. I was testing myself in there.”

On the knockdown: “That was like my true first time feeling, like, a woozy shot. I’m the one always giving them. But I knew best (to take a knee), I watch boxing and have been a part of it so long. If I would have just jumped out there, I would have just embarrassed myself. I was smart enough to regroup, recover and I recovered really fast. I probably could have stayed up or whatever, but I would have just been fighting, trying to clear my head, and still getting hit with shots. ... I was good. I got back up. Get back up and continue to fight.”

On Canelo controlling the tempo: “I really don’t know what round it was, but one of the later rounds, I felt like I hit him with a solid 1-2 that was effective. I hit him with a good hook that was blinding, that he maybe didn’t see. But I feel like I never got into a point where I could get into my bag where I wanted to, truthfully.”

On fighting at super middleweight: “I’m going back down to 154. That’s going to be major. I can do it, I can make the weight easy.”

“The experience was amazing, it was cool. I appreciate fans of boxing, period, but you gotta take your hats off to the Mexican fans that support boxing and come out to shows like this. I never want to leave my African-American fans, my American fans period. They come out just as well as the Mexican fans, it’s just one is crazier than the other.”

On feeling sluggish at the weight: “A little tad bit. I’m used to moving around much lighter, of course, but it was fine. I was just trying to follow my game plan and my coaches, and part of that was really coming forward, but moving around was part of the game plan, too. I felt the weight, of course.”

On whether the Tszyu-Mendoza winner is next: “I just follow the plans and fight whoever. It’s about being great, and I’m already a legend in boxing. Hopefully y’all put me in the Hall of Fame, I don’t know who the hell controls that, but I deserve it. I’ll just listen to my coaches, let them tell me what to do next, and I’m on it. ... Of course (I’d like to go undisputed again). But it’s about fighting the best fights and making the most money at this point in my life or career. So fighting Brian Mendoza or Tszyu, who’s got an Australian fan base, it’s just not as a satisfying to me sometimes. But like I said, I’ll listen to my coaches and follow the plans of my management and go from there.”

On Canelo’s skills surprising him: “Just watching his skills in the ring with me, I felt like I could have done a lot more than I did. I’ve seen it before. I’ve been in the ring with a lot of different fighters. I’ve seen skills. He has some great skills in the ring, you gotta give it to him. But I don’t even know the last time I talked about his skills. Like, that’s just something he needed to motivate himself, and so be it. So skills? If you’re at the top in the pound-for-pound, and you’re one of the best fighters in the world, you gotta have some type of skills. Did I not believe in his skills? Shit, I don’t know when I didn’t believe in his skills. I don’t care about that. I don’t believe in nobody’s skills, you know, I think I’m the best fighter in the world. I still think that right now. So I’m cool with that.”

On things never changing for him in the fight: “Yeah, it didn’t, and it sucks. Derrick let me know I slipped up (early), and I was, like, ‘Damn.’ I just never got to a point where I could put more pressure on him. That’s part of it.”

On Canelo’s “headlocks” bothering him: “Not at all. I do remember the headlocks a few times, but I felt like he was a clever fighter. Maybe I can steal that from him in the future. (smiling) ... I could have been more aggressive, honestly.”

On Canelo cutting off the ring: “I actually thought that I was rotating pretty well, getting around, and I was actually able to catch a lot of shots with my gloves. I did rotate well, it was just about my attack. After I rotated and get out of the shot, my return was my issue.”

On his WBO 154 lb title situation: “I don’t know, truthfully. I would like to talk to somebody from the WBO and see what kind of issues they can resolve. I don’t know if they already made their decision, but that was already taking from me before the fight, and that sucks. Part of life. But Jermell Charlo never gets the fair end of the stick, I gotta go and fight for mine. But I believe that moving up two weight classes to fight for undisputed and continue to stay active — of course, I wasn’t active for a year, because I was off with a hand injury. From the moment my hand got injured and the (Tszyu) fight got canceled, the WBO sent me, like, 30 letters and had me going back-and-forth to the doctor randomly. Just having to prove to them (with) MRIs and CAT scans and X-rays. They must really got a relationship with the people in Australia, and that’s OK with me. I just gotta continue to be a champion and continue to fight, and put my heart on the line every time I get in there.”

[Editor’s Note: The WBO’s ruling is very clear, although it is still a sanctioning body, so yes, it’s a bit goofy. Charlo was stripped of the WBO 154 lb title tonight after he was announced as their champion. That title is now held by Tim Tszyu.]

Terence Crawford slammed Jermell Charlo’s performance against Canelo Alvarez.

Terence Crawford and Jermell Charlo are continuing their beef after Charlo’s loss to Canelo Alvarez tonight.

In the ring post-fight, Charlo said he still wants to fight Terence Crawford next. But Crawford threw a heavy shot at Charlo after the bout, criticizing his performance.

“You went out sad. Didn’t even try to win, all you did was try to survive. You should be ashamed of yourself,” Crawford wrote on social media, directed to Charlo.

Crawford (40-0, 31 KO) won the undisputed welterweight championship with a totally dominant victory over Errol Spence Jr — who trains alongside Charlo with Derrick James — in July, and Crawford and Charlo (35-2-1, 19 KO) had already been going at it in the media long before that.

The 33-year-old Charlo says he does plan to return to 154 lbs, where he still holds the WBC, WBA, and IBF titles for the time being.

Crawford, 36, has a contractually obligated rematch to do with Spence, but he also gets to dictate weight terms for the fight, and Spence could turn that down and not do the rematch at all.

If no Crawford vs Spence 2 next, do you want to see Crawford vs Charlo at 154?

Canelo Alvarez says he’ll be back in the ring in May 2024, ready to fight the best available opponent.

Canelo Alvarez had it all pretty much his way tonight, beating Jermell Charlo via clear unanimous decision to retain his super middleweight undisputed championship, and says he’ll be back in the ring next May.

Specifically, Canelo plans to return on Cinco De Mayo weekend, which even more specifically would mean Saturday, May 4.

When asked who his opponent might be, a fired up Canelo responded that he “(doesn’t) fucking care.”

The most notable 168 lb name with Premier Boxing Champions — with whom Canelo has a three-fight deal — would currently be David Benavidez, a former two-time WBC titlist who never lost his belts in the ring and is coming off of a career-biggest win over Caleb Plant this past March.

The 26-year-old Benavidez (27-0, 23 KO) is tentatively slated to face former 154 and 160 lb titleholder Demetrius Andrade, likely in November.

As for whom the defeated Charlo may face next, he’s got his sights set on a grudge match back at 154 against current undisputed welterweight king Terence Crawford.

Canelo (60-2-2, 39 KO) taking on Benavidez is what the majority of the serious boxing fans want to see next, provided, of course, that Benavidez does beat the tricky and skilled Andrade, who should not be considered a pushover.

But the 33-year-old Alvarez believes that he was back in peak form tonight after struggling with some injuries recently, and that nobody can beat him in this condition.

“I’m a strong fighter all the time. I’m a strong man,” Canelo said post-fight. “Nobody can beat this Canelo. We worked to go to the body. We know (Charlo’s) a great fighter who knows how to move in the ring, so we worked in the gym for three months. I still love boxing. I love boxing so fucking much!”

Jim Gray then asked Canelo to explain why he loves boxing.

“Boxing is my life,” he replied. “Boxing made me the person I am today. Boxing is my life. That’s why I love it so much.”

Jermell Charlo lost to Canelo, but still wants Terence Crawford next.

Jermell Charlo took a one-sided loss at 168 lbs to Canelo Alvarez tonight, but has his sights set on another big money fight next, calling out Terence Crawford for a 154 lb battle next.

Charlo (35-2-1, 19 KO) and Crawford (40-0, 31 KO) have had a ton of back-and-forth in the media, which only got ramped up after Crawford decimated Charlo stablemate Errol Spence Jr in July.

Charlo says his plan is to move back to 154 lbs next. When Showtime’s Jim Gray asked if he would be looking to fight Tim Tszyu — who now has the WBO title, meaning Charlo is no longer undisputed at that weight — he made a quick pivot to Crawford.

“I guess the winner of him and (Brian) Mendoza, or whoever I gotta fight. I’m down to fight whoever,” he said, before immediately setting a clear target.

“I want to fight Terence Crawford, fuck that. 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 (in a rematch) and get that out of the way. I’m about to get right back in training, don’t worry about it.”

Tszyu and Mendoza will meet Oct. 14 U.S. time (Oct. 15 Australia time) in Australia on Showtime.

Charlo also offered no major excuses for his loss to Canelo, but did say the weight was noticeable for him in the ring.

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

“Truthfully, you can feel the difference in the weight. I jumped up 14 lbs. I (was) undisputed (at 154), so I was daring to be great right now. You fall short sometimes, but you gotta just keep on pushing. My road don’t stop right here.”

It was one-way traffic for Canelo Alvarez against Jermell Charlo.

Canelo Alvarez was far too much tonight for Jermell Charlo, retaining his undisputed super middleweight championship with a dominant, 12-round unanimous decision in Las Vegas.

Canelo won on scores of 118-109, 118-109, and 119-108. Bad Left Hook had it 120-107 on two separate unofficial score cards.

Canelo picks up the 60th win of his storied career, going to 60-2-2 (39 KO) overall, while Charlo falls to 35-2-1 (19 KO).

The fight was never really competitive, as Canelo and Charlo both started very slow in the opening round, but even there the one big punch landed was a hard right hand to the body from Canelo.

From there, it just became one-way traffic, with Charlo occasionally showing some life, but just not nearly enough to win many rounds, with even the couple you could arguably give him debatable at best.

Charlo was also down in round seven, taking a knee after a hard right hand to the head.

CompuBox saw Canelo land 134 of 385 (35%) total punches, compared to Charlo at 71 of 398 (18%), so it wasn’t exactly a torrid affair in punch output, either, with Canelo averaging 32.1 punches thrown per round, and Charlo 33.2.

Canelo landed 78 power shots at a 40 percent clip, with Charlo landing just 31 at 27 percent accuracy. Canelo landed 56 jabs to Charlo’s 40, and at a much higher connect percentage (30% to 14%).

We’ll have much more from Canelo vs Charlo so stick with us overnight at Bad Left Hook!

Canelo vs Charlo highlights

Erickson Lubin took a controversial decision over Jesus Ramos Jr on the Canelo vs Charlo undercard.

Erickson Lubin won a controversial unanimous decision over Jesus Ramos Jr, wrapping up the Canelo vs Charlo PPV undercard and handing Ramos his first loss as a professional.

Judges scored the fight 115-113, 116-112, and 117-111 for Lubin. Bad Left Hook unofficially had the fight 114-114 and 116-112 Ramos on two separate cards.

The fight was, however you scored, not exactly a thriller (to put it nicely), and Ramos (20-1, 16 KO) and his team may be kicking themselves when they watch it back, as it may have been Ramos getting a bit lackadaisical in the middle and later rounds that cost him the fight.

Then again, maybe not, as two judges had it 8-4 and 9-3 in rounds for Lubin (26-2, 18 KO), indicating they didn’t even see the 22-year-old Ramos building any early lead, really.

It was not an impressive performance from either, really. Lubin played it safe throughout, generally fighting off the back foot, but to that point, Ramos never forced him to do much else, just as Lubin never forced Ramos to pick up the pace.

Lubin trainer Kevin Cunningham was animated in the corner throughout the fight, urging Lubin to throw more. He never really did — though he made a legitimately rally late, in part because Ramos was doing even less than before — but they got the win anyway.

For what it’s worth, the crowd loudly booed the decision and Lubin during his post-fight interview.

“I’m happy about it. It’s boxing, boxing 101, I was hitting and not getting hit. He’s a very strong kid, I tip my hat to him,” Lubin said. “Very talented young kid, but I was just tired of them calling me a gatekeeper. I’m one of the top dogs in this division and I deserve all the top fights. I don’t want no young’uns coming up no more, I want the belts.”

Lubin then greatly mischaracterized the interaction between himself and Cunningham during the fight, perhaps unaware that we see and hear what is happening in the corner during the broadcast.

“I felt like I did a little more, but that’s alright,” Ramos said. “Congratulations to Erickson Lubin, he was sharp. He had a good game plan. Congratulations to him. It’s back to the drawing board. We’ll come back.”

Asked if he went on cruise control too much, Ramos said, “Yeah, maybe. I felt I was trying to show different dimensions to my game, not just coming forward, but it is what it is. I’ll take this loss, come back, and learn from it.”

CompuBox saw Lubin landing 92 of 532 (17%) of his total punches, compared to 145 of 499 (29%) for Ramos. Lubin landed just 33 of 154 (21%) of his power punches, and 59 of 378 (16%) jabs. Ramos was tallied at 84 of 225 (37%) of his power shots, and 61 of 274 (22%) jabs.

Mario Barrios scored a career-best win over Yordenis Ugas on the Canelo vs Charlo undercard.

Mario Barrios routed Yordenis Ugas over the distance on the Canelo vs Charlo PPV undercard, winning the interim WBC welterweight title with a career-best win.

Official scores were 117-108, 118-107, and 118-107 for Barrios, who scored two knockdowns in the fight.

Bad Left Hook unofficially scored the fight 116-109 and 117-108 for Barrios on two separate cards.

Barrios (28-2, 18 KO) is now a Terence Crawford move up from being fully recognized as the WBC welterweight titleholder, but that will have to wait, of course.

The 37-year-old Ugas (27-6, 12 KO) hadn’t fought since a physically brutal loss to Errol Spence Jr in Apr. 2022, after which he had to undergo surgery on a broken orbital bone. The eye did not hold up in this fight, and over the second half, it was pretty much all Barrios, as the 28-year-old keyed in — as he should, this is the fight game — on the increasingly closing eye.

By the final few rounds, there were a lot of calls out there for Ugas’ corner to stop the fight, or for the doctor to do so, and referee Thomas Taylor did have the doctor check repeatedly, but it was always allowed to go on.

Ugas was down in the second round on a jab he sort of walked onto, and dropped much harder in the 12th on a shot he just didn’t see coming. He also had a point deducted in the 12th round for repeatedly spitting out his mouthpiece.

“All the work we put in, all the months we spent getting ready, it paid off,” Barrios said. “(The second round knockdown) definitely set a tone, because early on he caught me with a nice liver shot that slowed me down a little bit. But after (the knockdown), that’s when I was able to start picking up the pace. I knew this wasn’t going to be an easy fight, but we had a great camp, and I was prepared.”

“I definitely want to take it further,” he added. “I want to contend for the main WBC title, but I know there’s steps to get there. I’m being patient, and we’ll see what’s next.”

There is a good chance this is the last we see of Ugas, who has had a tremendous career. An eye injury that clearly isn’t going to get better is just so hard to protect, defend, and fight with. If he does go now, he’s left no career on the table.

CompuBox saw Barrios landing 193 of 810 (24%) total punches, and 86 of 277 (31%) of his power shots. The jab contest between the two was all Barrios, and it was an effective weapon all night. Barrios landed 107 of 533 (20%) of his jabs, compared to just 36 of 268 (13%) from Ugas. Ugas landed 101 of 484 (21%) of his total punches, and 65 of 216 (30%) of his power shots.

Elijah Garcia stopped Armando Resendiz in an all-action fight to kick off the Canelo vs Charlo PPV.

Elijah Garcia stopped Armando Resendiz in a fantastic, all-action fight to kick off the Canelo vs Charlo pay-per-view, with the 20-year-old middleweight staying unbeaten.

Garcia (16-0, 13 KO) and Resendiz (14-2, 10 KO) went right at one another from the opening bell, hardly using any of the ring’s greater real estate and staying toe-to-toe at center ring throughout.

Resendiz put in a tremendous effort, but was just a bit out-gunned by Garcia, who scored a knockdown in the eighth round, and the fight was stopped shortly after when referee Tony Weeks stepped in during another Garcia flurry.

The official time of the stoppage was 1:23 of round eight.

“It was a really hard fight. Armando Resendiz is good people,” Garcia said. “His fans, his people are the nicest people in the world, and I wish him nothing but the best. He was real tough.”

“100 percent (the) toughest fight (of my career). In training camp, I knew this was going to be the hardest fight of my career, and I left everything I could in the ring,” he added.

Garcia continues to target winning a world title by the time he’s 21.

“I think I’m getting better every single fight, and it starts in the gym,” he said. “Right after this, I want to go get some food, but I’m getting my ass back in the gym Monday. One step at a time, fight these harder opponents, and I’ll get closer to that world title.”

CompuBox saw Garcia landing 216 of 609 (35%) total punches, including 165 of 358 (46%) of his power shots. Resendiz landed 166 of 729 (23%) total punches, working incredibly hard to win this one and find an advantage. He was tallied at 102 of 386 (26%) power shots.

Jai Opetaia demolished Jordan Thompson inside of four rounds to retain his IBF title.

Jai Opetaia was a class apart from Jordan Thompson today in London, demolishing his challenger to retain the IBF cruiserweight title in a DAZN main event.

Opetaia (23-0, 18 KO) put Thompson down in the third and fourth rounds before referee Howard Foster stopped the fight, and he was putting it on Thompson (15-1, 12 KO) from pretty much the opening bell.

In short, this was never competitive, and the massive step up in competition for the 30-year-old Thompson proved far too much.

To give him his deserved credit, Thompson got the eye-opener in round one but absolutely did not roll over, he did the best he could here, but Opetaia, 28, is simply a world-class fighter, and Thompson had never seen anything like him with live ammo flying.

Opetaia pretty well asserted himself as the world’s best cruiserweight with this win, coming in his first fight since his July 2022 war with Mairis Briedis, a Fight of the Year-level affair where Opetaia had his jaw broken.

There was some worry about how he’d respond to the injury and the layoff, but it’s fair to say he responded quite well.

“This is what I do. I’m born for this shit, I live for it,” Opetaia said after the fight. “I feel like this fight night was Jordan Thompson’s fight night, you know what I mean? I feel like they made it about him. It was nothing to do with me. They put me in this small ring thinking they were going to cut me off, but that’s what happens. I’ve got good footwork, and they tried to take that away from me with this little ring.

“But I’ve got the power, too. I told them from the start they were underestimating my power, and that’s what happens.”

“I felt good. All the operations are upgrades,” he said about the jaw. “I don’t think about them anymore. I’m stronger now. I’ve got this fight out of the way and I’m looking forward. Who’s next? I’ve been saying it, I come here to earn respect, not disrespect. I’d love to fight (Chris Billam-Smith), I want that WBO belt around my waist.”

Opetaia vs Thompson highlights

Undercard results

• Cheavon Clarke UD-10 Vasil Ducar (98-92, 99-91, 99-91): Clarke, 32, goes to 7-0 (5 KO), and there’s no shame in not stopping Ducar, who is a rounds-grinder and a tough dude, someone who’s a very valuable test to pass for cruiserweights on the way up. Chris Billam-Smith didn’t stop him, either, and he’s got a world title. “Chev” clearly wants to move up the ranks, and he definitely tried to stop Ducar here, but Ducar has only been stopped once. Again, tough dude.
• Jimmy Sains TKO-3 Bartlomiej Stryczek (1:23): A successful pro debut for Sains, a middleweight and national amateur standout. Making his debut on a “main card” portion isn’t an indication that he’s some mega blue chipper, but Matchroom like doing this for UK amateurs making debuts if they can. He did look good, did the job you’d want him to do. He definitely sold some tickets, and those guys have real value on any card, and the UK promoters do a good job working with that.
• Rhiannon Dixon UD-10 Katharina Thanderz (100-90, 100-90, 100-90): Dixon (9-0, 1 KO) picks up the previously vacant European lightweight title with this win. A really dominant showing, Dixon doesn’t have that many levels up to go from here, and 135 will open up if/when Katie Taylor decides she’s either done in general or done at the weight, which isn’t that far in the future.
• Ellie Scotney UD-10 Laura Griffa (99-91, 100-91, 100-90): Scotney (8-0, 0 KO) retains her IBF 122 lb title with a clear win. She maybe started a bit tight, but Griff was no threat to her overall.

Otto Wallin won a split decision over Murat Gassiev in Turkey.

Otto Wallin stayed roughly in the mix as a heavyweight contender, beating Murat Gassiev on split decision scores today in Antalya, Turkey.

Wallin took two cards of 115-113 each, while Gassiev received a very questionable 117-111 card in his favor.

The 32-year-old Wallin was certainly busier and seemed to land more, and had the one moment of the fight where anyone seemed hurt go in his favor, but it was also easy to wonder during the bout if his pat-a-cake style would work for the judges.

Wallin spent most of the fight on the back foot, with Gassiev (30-2, 23 KO) the aggressor, but also not landing very much at all, or even throwing much for long periods.

The general belief out there — and one I agree with — was that it was a frustrating fight on both sides of the ring, because it was really easy to feel like either man could have been doing more.

Wallin also seemed to have a little trouble late with his gas tank, which we’ve seen in past fights against Tyson Fury and Dominic Breazeale, but he was able to hold on and get a deserved victory in this one, as he did against Breazeale.

Dmitry Bivol thinks Canelo Alvarez will beat Jermell Charlo, and still wants the undisputed fight at 168.

Dmitry Bivol is picking Canelo Alvarez to beat Jermell Charlo tonight, but still has a potential move down to 168 lbs on his mind, and says he’d want to do it no matter who comes out on top.

“It’s going to be an interesting fight. I think Canelo should win,” Bivol posted on social media. “But I will be happy if Charlo wins. I am interested in (an undisputed) fight at 168.”

Bivol, who beat Canelo in May 2022 and successfully defended his light heavyweight title, wanted to move down to 168 and face Canelo for a rematch, this time for Canelo’s undisputed super middleweight championship.

Canelo, however, wanted a Bivol rematch at 175, to attempt to avenge the loss on the same terms as before. Bivol didn’t see enough reason to fight Canelo again at 175, and Canelo didn’t see much to gain from fighting Bivol at 168. A rare situation where both had a reasonable point and that’s why a fight didn’t happen, and a catchweight would have satisfied neither man’s chief concern.

The 32-year-old Bivol (21-0, 11 KO) has not fought since routing Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez in Nov. 2022 in Dubai, where he again successfully defended his WBA light heavyweight title. His stated desires have been the fight at 168 for all the marbles, or a full undisputed clash with Artur Beterbiev at 175, neither of which have come to fruition, and may not any time soon. As stands now, he simply may not fight in 2023,

The original main event between Robeisy Ramirez and Rafael Espinoza will reportedly now land on December 9th

Quick schedule update: news broke last week that Robeisy Ramirez would likely defend his WBO featherweight title atop a November 4th ESPN+ show in Lake Tahoe. That’s no longer the case, as Top Rank announced yesterday that Efe Ajagba vs Joe Goodall will serve as the main event.

Salvador Rodriguez and Keith Idec both report that Ramirez’s fight with Rafael Espinoza will instead land on December 9th, with Top Rank forgoing its tradition of holding a Madison Square Garden show on Heisman weekend. Seems like a weird choice to me; Luis Alberto Lopez wants the unification and can probably by ready by January/February. The longer the wait, the bigger the chance the IBF puts their foot down and makes Lopez fight Reiya Abe.

Ajagba (18-1, 13 KO) becomes one of few noteworthy heavyweights to fight three times in 2023. He gritted out an uneventful decision over Stephen Shaw in January, then played the role of Riddick Bowe to Zhan Kossobutskiy’s Andrew Golota last month. He now faces a former amateur rival in Goodall (10-1-1, 9 KO), who sports a loss to Justis Huni but went on to stop Shaw in six.

Seems like a nice, competitive matchup of similarly skilled heavyweights. Not blockbuster material, though I suppose it doesn’t have to be when the evening’s other show is a Don King PPV starring Adrien Broner.

“This is a great opportunity for me to close out the year with a big victory and move closer to a world title opportunity,” Ajagba said. “Goodall is a big, powerful heavyweight, but I am confident in my preparation, and I will do what it takes to be victorious.”

Goodall said, “Efe Ajagba is a world-class boxer and a huge challenge for me. This is an opportunity, though, for me to come to America and show the world what I am capable of. It’s a massive show and I’m genuinely honored to be a part of it. When I signed with DiBella Entertainment, I told Lou that I only wanted the big fights. I want to put myself into a position to fight for a world title, and I believe beating Efe will do that.”

The previously revealed co-feature between Raymond Muratalla (18-0, 15 KO) and Diego Torres (18-0, 17 KO) remains intact. The pair were supposed to fight in August before Muratalla withdrew due to injury.

Muratalla said, “We were supposed to fight in August, but unfortunately, injuries happen. I am 100 percent healthy and ready to put on a show against a tough, undefeated fighter like Torres. I believe I am the future of the lightweight division, and I look forward to showing that on November 4.”

Torres said, “I am very excited that this fight is back on schedule. I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to face another unbeaten fighter. I am going to show that I was born for this and that I’m going to do great things in this sport. I’m coming with everything.”

In addition to the Top Rank debut of Brandon Moore (12-0, 8 KO) and the latest from undercard regulars like Antonio Mireles (8-0, 7 KO), Omar Rosario (11-0, 3 KO), and Lindolfo Delgado (18-0, 13 KO), the prelims feature a genuinely interesting battle between undefeated super featherweights Henry Lebron (18-0, 10 KO) and William Foster III (16-0, 10 KO).

Jai Opetaia faces Jordan Thompson in a cruiserweight title fight in London!

Jai Opetaia and Jordan Thompson headline a Matchroom card from OVO Arena Wembley today, with Opetaia defending his IBF cruiserweight title in the main event.

The show will also feature Ellie Scotney making an IBF 122 lb title defense, plus returns for Cheavon Clarke and Rhiannon Dixon, as well as Jimmy Sains making his pro debut on the main card.

That main card starts at 2 pm ET on DAZN, and we’ll be here with updates, highlights, and results, all in this stream:

Main Card (DAZN, 2:00 pm ET)

• Jai Opetaia (22-0, 17 KO) vs Jordan Thompson (15-0, 12 KO), cruiserweights, 12 rounds, for Opetaia’s IBF title
• Cheavon Clarke (6-0, 5 KO) vs Vasil Ducar (14-6-2, 10 KO), cruiserweights, 10 rounds
• Jimmy Sains (debut) vs Bartlomiej Stryczek (1-0, 0 KO), middleweights, 4 rounds
• Rhiannon Dixon (8-0, 1 KO) vs Katharina Thanderz (16-1, 2 KO), lightweights, 10 rounds, for vacant European title
• Ellie Scotney (7-0, 0 KO) vs Laura Griffa (20-8, 1 KO), junior featherweights, 10 rounds, for Scotney’s IBF title

Prelims (DAZN and Social Media, 11:45 am ET)

• George Liddard (4-0, 3 KO) vs Peter Kramer (14-8-3, 10 KO), middleweights, 6 rounds
• Ibraheem Sulaimaan (1-0, 1 KO) vs Joshua Ocampo (8-15-5, 6 KO), lightweights, 4 rounds
• Shannon Ryan (5-0, 0 KO) vs Xenia Jorneac (11-6, 3 KO), junior bantamweights, 8 rounds
• Maisey Rose (4-0, 0 KO) vs Martina Bernile (5-2-1, 1 KO), flyweights, 6 rounds

Canelo Alvarez vs Jermell Charlo is LIVE tonight, and we’ll have all the updates for the full PPV show!

Canelo Alvarez returns against Jermell Charlo in a Showtime pay-per-view main event tonight from Las Vegas, with Canelo’s undisputed super middleweight championship on the line!

Canelo vs Charlo headlines a four-fight pay-per-view card, and we’ll be here with ALL the live updates you could possibly want this evening starting at 8 pm ET!

All of those updates, including round-by-round for all four PPV card fights from Wil Esco, highlights, results, and more will come in this stream:

Main Card (SHO PPV, 8:00 pm ET)

• Canelo Alvarez (59-2-2, 39 KO) vs Jermell Charlo (35-1-1, 19 KO), super middleweights, 12 rounds, for Canelo’s undisputed championship (WBC, WBA, IBF, and WBO titles)
• Jesus Ramos Jr (20-0, 16 KO) vs Erickson Lubin (25-2, 18 KO), junior middleweights, 12 rounds, WBA eliminator
• Yordenis Ugas (27-5, 12 KO) vs Mario Barrios (27-2, 18 KO), welterweights, 12 rounds, for interim WBC title
• Elijah Garcia (15-0, 12 KO) vs Armando Resendiz (14-1, 10 KO), middleweights, 10 rounds

Prelims (YouTube and Facebook, 5:30 pm ET)

• Frank Sanchez (22-0, 15 KO) vs Scott Alexander (17-5-2, 9 KO), heavyweights, 10 rounds
• Oleksandr Gvozdyk (19-1, 15 KO) vs Isaac Rodrigues (28-4, 22 KO), light heavyweights, 8 rounds
• Terrell Gausha (23-3-1, 12 KO) vs KeAndrae Leatherwood (23-8-1, 13 KO), middleweights, 8 rounds

Canelo vs Charlo is officially set for Saturday night!

Canelo Alvarez and Jermell Charlo both made weight, and Saturday night’s undisputed super middleweight championship fight is now set and official.

Both Canelo (59-2-2, 39 KO) and Charlo (35-1-1, 19 KO) weighed in at 167.4 lbs, below the 168 limit.

It’s Charlo’s first fight in the 168 lb division, having been undisputed champion at 154 since his last fight in May 2022. He will be undisputed champion at 154 until Saturday evening when his name is announced in the ring, at which time he will be stripped of the WBO title.

“It’s time to fight, let’s get ready! We’re bringing this shit to Las Vegas! Lions Only!” Charlo said after the weigh-in. “When it’s time to step in that ring, we know what time it is. It don’t matter how they hype him up. They got it poppin’ in here, I love it, I enjoy it.

“I do this for us, baby! I do this for that culture that they talk about! I do this for the culture that they hate on! It’s time! I’m a bad motherfucker!”

“I think it’s gonna be a great fight. The size factor doesn’t matter here, I’ve done it before and I feel good. I’m ready for everything,” Canelo said.

Asked what he saw staring down Charlo, Canelo shrugged it off and replied, “You can’t tell by what you see. Tune in Saturday night.”

More Canelo vs Charlo coverage

Undercard weights:

• Jesus Ramos Jr 153.4 vs Erickson Lubin 153.4 (PPV Undercard)
• Yordenis Ugas 147 vs Mario Barrios 146.8 (PPV Undercard)
• Elijah Garcia 159.6 vs Armando Resendiz 159.5 (PPV Undercard)
• Frank Sanchez 241.6 vs Scott Alexander 217.8 (Prelims)
• Oleksandr Usyk 174.3 vs Isaac Rodrigues 183.2 (Prelims)
• Terrell Gausha 162.4 vs KeAndrae Leatherwood 162.4 (Prelims)

Bob Arum says a Canelo vs Crawford fight might be interesting, but it only has one winner.

Top Rank promoter Bob Arum speaks to media reporters today on a number of topics, including the career of Shakur Stevenson, the word on the street of Showtime leaving boxing, and a proposed matchup between Terence Crawford and Canelo Alvarez. Check out some of what he had to say below.

Arum on Shakur Stevenson

“I think he’s a great, great talent and we’re paying opponents money that they haven’t seen. But sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. We had a deal for this Frank Martin, paying Martin seven or eight times more than he’s ever made, and his promoter Tom Brown went along with that, we made the deal, and then the kid pulled out.

“I don’t know what’s in these kids’ mind. But we’ll find as we go on, top, top talent for Shakur...but I’ll be honest with you, I don’t think anybody beats Shakur.”

On how he avoids Stevenson running into the same problem Crawford faced with a lot of the big names being affiliated with PBC and eventually having to align with that side

“He doesn’t have to go to [PBC] because we control a lot of the money now, as you can see by the fight in Saudi Arabia. And money makes the world go ‘round in boxing.”

On the wide-spreading rumors Showtime is going to largely pull out of the business of boxing

“I am very, very sad. I understand that Showtime is changing its format and has very little use for sports and so will not do boxing. That’s what I understand but I know as much as you do about it. But that’s not good for boxing.”

On a Canelo vs Crawford matchup

“I think Canelo wipes the floor with him. I love Crawford. I told you with Crawford and Spence that Crawford would beat the hell out of him. But Canelo is a different proposition. It’s an interesting fight but I think there’s only one winner.

“Canelo is used to fighting at a particular level and I don’t think Terence can hurt Canelo but Canelo can hurt Terence.”

On how he thinks Jaron Ennis would fare against Crawford

“I have no idea but I know that ‘Boots’ Ennis is a tremendous fighter and a great talent. Whether he’d stand a chance with Crawford, I don’t really know because at 147 Crawford is, I think, unbeatable the same way Shakur is at 135. But, again, Ennis is probably other than Crawford, probably the best welterweight out there.”