Jermall Charlo (27-0, 21 KOs) stopped Hugo Centeno Jr. (26-1, 14 KOs) with 55 seconds left in the second round on Saturday night in Brooklyn, New York.
Charlo dropped Centeno Jr. with a vicious left hook and straight right combination that Centeno Jr. couldn’t get up from.
.@futureofboxing defeats @hugocentenojr in round 2 to claim the WBC’s interim 160-lb title via knockout. #CharloCenteno pic.twitter.com/Xu8iKm0DP5
— SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) April 22, 2018
Charlo is now the WBC Interim Middleweight champion. He is the WBC mandatory challenger for Middleweight champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin (37-0-1, 33 KOs).
The question remains, who’s next for rising star Jermall Charlo?
Charlo has fought and beaten the rising prospects, and the gritty veterans handed to him. Charlo’s next opponent should be Daniel Jacobs (33-2, 29 KOs), GGG, or a top 10 Middleweight to add to his resume.
Gennady Golovkin
Photo Credit: Marilyn Paulino/RBRBoxing
Jermall Charlo wants his shot at Middleweight Champion Gennady Golovkin to be his next fight. Charlo has been vocal in calling out the champion. “Bring on GGG,” Charlo exclaimed in the post-fight interview. “I don’t wanna talk about it, where he at?”
Charlo feels he is ready for GGG and doesn’t care about promoter and network issues, he wants GGG plain and simple.
The problem with this matchup is the risk and reward for GGG, they can avoid taking a Charlo fight because it wouldn’t be a huge PPV fight nor a unification fight.
Daniel Jacobs
Photo Credit: Marilyn Paulino/RBRBoxing
A Jermall Charlo and Daniel Jacobs matchup is a realistic possibility. It would be one of the best matchups to make in the Middleweight division without a doubt.
There has been a feud, and trash talking between the two. Charlo feels he has earned the right to fight the top dogs in the division, including Daniel Jacobs.
The winner of this fight would seemingly have a shot at GGG, bringing high stakes to this explosive matchup. This is best case scenario for Charlo and would be the biggest fight of his career to date.
Top 10 Middleweight
While a Gennady Golovkin or Daniel Jacobs matchup will be on the top of the wish list for Jermall Charlo, there’s a possibility he can’t get either fight. Charlo should then turn to a ranked opponent in the division. Therefore, any of the following would be great matchups; David Lemieux (38-4, 33 KOs), or Demetrius Andrade (25-0, 16 KOs).
David Lemieux has a scheduled fight with Karim Achour (26-4-3, 4 KOs), and is in need of a solid win to get back in the mix for a title shot. A matchup with Jermall Charlo could prove that he belongs in the top of the division.
Demetrius Andrade is a young, undefeated Middleweight similar to Charlo. This fight has been talked about and makes the most sense according to WBC and IBF rankings for each fighter. Someone’s 0 would have to go, making it an enticing matchup with the winner putting himself in position for a title shot.
Header Photo by Marilyn Paulino/RBRBoxing
