Jermell “Iron Man” Charlo (27-0, 12 KOs) and John “Dah Rock” Jackson (20-2, 15 KOs) go toe-to-toe Saturday, May 21 at The Cosmopolitan. Charlo-Jackson will be the opening bout of the triple header event; the fight is scheduled for 12 rounds and the vacant WBC Super Welterweight title is on the line.
This is the third time Charlo has fought since 2015, and he is coming off an October win over Joachim Alcine. Jackson has won five of his last six fights and is also coming off a win–beating Dennis Laurente last August.
While there is a lot on the line for both fighters on Saturday night, the thought of both Charlo brothers returning to their hometown of Houston with 154-pound world titles has given Jermell even more motivation as he prepares for Jackson.
Read on for a complete preview and prediction of Jermell Charlo vs. John Jackson and let us know who you think will win.
Tale of the Tape
| Jermell Charlo | John Jackson | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record: | 27-0, 12 KOs | 20-2, 15KOs | ||
| Age: | 26 | 27 | ||
| Height: | 5’11” | 6’0” | ||
| Reach: | 73” | 75" | ||
| Stance: | Orthodox | Orthodox | ||
| Weight: | 147 | 147 | ||
| Hometown: | Houston, Texas | Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands | ||
| Rounds Boxed: | 173 | 98 |
Based on what you see here, Jermell Charlo vs. John Jackson looks like a rather fair matchup on paper.
– They are one year apart in age. – Charlo is one-inch shorter than Jackson. – Jackson has a two-inch reach advantage. – Both Charlo and Jackson are orthodox fighters. – Charlo has more ring experience – fighting 173 rounds compared to 98 rounds for Jackson.
Overall, there are no substantial physical differences between the two fighters.
When it comes to knockout ratios–Jackson has a 68 percent knockout ratio in 22 bouts, and Charlo has a knockout ratio of 44 percent in 27 bouts.
While Jackson has the higher knockout ratio, Charlo has the advantage of more ring experience. Charlo has fought 75 more rounds than Jackson.
Main Storylines
Photo by Showtime
Jermell Charlo will be competing for a world championship for the first time Saturday night, while his brother Jermall Charlo will be defending his IBF Junior Middleweight title for the second time following Jermell’s fight.
Both Jermell and Jermall want to return to their hometown of Houston, Texas with Junior Middleweight titles.
“Sibling rivalry is pretty intense, pushing each other to see who is in the best shape,” said Jermell, whose fight will precede his brother’s.
“It will be great performing well in front of my twin brother, who will be back in the locker room cheering me on.”
“We always knew we were going to be world champions, but we never thought about it happening on the same card on the same night and making history. That makes it much more intense and raises the stakes for me. My job is to make history, so I’m going into the ring with the mindset of winning.”
Derrick James will be in Jermell’s corner for the second time on Saturday night–after years of working with Ronnie Shields who still currently trains both Jermall Charlo and Erislandy Lara.
“It’s an honor and a blessing to be fighting on the same day and at the same time as my brother,” said Jermell.
“My brother’s defending his title and so is Lara, and it’s my chance to win one. We weren’t able to conquer the same titles as stablemates with the same coach, but hopefully we’ll be blessed to do that on the night of these fights.”
While Jermell is motivated to win his first title fight, John Jackson is coming into Saturday night’s fight well rested–only having one bout since December 2014.
Although there is hype surrounding the Charlo brothers in their attempt to take both the Junior Middleweight titles back to Houston; Jackson is just as motivated to upset that.
“Of course, the body attack is always an important strategy, especially early in the fight,” said Jackson.
“But we’re going to attack him upstairs, downstairs and exploit everything. We’re strong, we’re in shape, we’re focused and we’re going to bring it.”
Strengths for Each Man
Jermell “Iron Man” Charlo
Photo by Esther Lin
Jermell Charlo is a superb young athlete who is beginning to cause some serious buzz in the boxing world. Charlo does a great job of beating his opponents to the punch. He has an impressive jab that sets up his explosive straight right.
Charlo’s hand speed and quickness are unmatched, which allows him to sneak in and out when throwing combinations. While Jermell isn’t known for his punching power–he was able to stop his last opponent Joachim Alcine via sixth-round TKO in October and is looking for another stoppage Saturday night.
“I have just as much power as my twin brother, and my twin brother is extremely strong,” said Charlo. “I can’t predict what’s going to happen, but I’m preparing myself for more than 12 rounds.”
“There’s no pressure for me to get the knockout, but I think my power is underrated. At some point, I may have to stand and trade, and I’ll try to get to his chin as much as possible with cleaner shots. It would be great to get another knockout,” said Charlo.
John “Dah Rock” Jackson
Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images
John Jackson also has great hand speed and has excellent head movement. Jackson is a very accurate puncher, who obviously packs power behind his punches–knocking out six of his last 10 opponents.
While Jackson has shown he can be a one-hit fighter, he has also shown he can box for the entirety of a bout as well.
Despite Jackson’s knockout abilities, he isn’t necessarily looking for the knockout Saturday night.
“I’m focusing on maintaining sustained pressure, because I know he’s going to be, not necessarily running, but trying to box me,” said Jackson.
“So when he’s backing up and looking for the counters, I’m going to just keep it on him, cut off the ring, be able to get to him and win rounds to hopefully wear him down for later on in the fight. We’re ready for anything he does.”
Weaknesses for Each Man
Jermell Charlo
Photo by Esther Lin
In all honesty, Jermell Charlo has a high ring IQ and more experience in the ring coming into Saturday night’s fight.
The only weakness I foresee John Jackson taking advantage of is Charlo’s passiveness due to his confidence in the ring.
Charlo needs to come out aggressive and stay aggressive throughout the entire fight.
John Jackson
Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images
John Jackson must stick to his game plan and not get fixated on searching for the knockout because he will get caught by Jermell Charlo if he does.
Jackson needs to avoid dropping his hands because given the opportunity, Charlo could end the fight prematurely.
The Winner and Why
Photo by Esther Lin
John Jackson’s best chance at victory lies in his power. Jermell Charlo is the better boxer with more ring experience, but if he comes out aggressive early on in the fight, landing clean shots–he could make things interesting.
If Jackson isn’t able to affect Charlo with his power punches within the first couple of rounds, Charlo will use his jab and straight right to easily outbox Jackson.
I believe Charlo is hungry enough that he will win via TKO late in the fight.
I see Charlo wearing Jackson down by out boxing him throughout the beginning rounds and finishing the fight with the power he is so eager to show off.
