This Past Saturday’s Super Welterweight Championship Rematch Won by Jermell Charlo Used a Combination of Revenge and Animus to Draw Two Million-Plus Viewers
Photo Credit: Leo Wilson/PBC
For Super Welterweights Tony Harrison and Jermell Charlo, perhaps it paid off to be the loudest fight on the calendar in late-December.
In addition to the presence of a genuine disdain for each other, the two also had the WBC championship belt on the line. Add in a revenge factor with regards to Charlo’s 0-1 record to a man he refused to believe really took his “0” last December.
The disrespectful profanity-laden press conferences worked. All the existing audio and video footage worked extremely well in TV ads ran during FOX’ Saturday and Sunday football coverage. And, the rematch possessed a healthy mix of intrigue and threat.
Could Harrison really box his way to proving his first win was legitimate?
Could Charlo tamp down his emotions to execute the punch he failed to land the first 12 rounds that could potentially stop Harrison? Harrison’s two losses both came via knockout.
Photo credit: Leo Wilson/PBC
Well, the entire package resulted in certified television gold. Boxing Scene’s Jake Donovan’s reported the rematch between Charlo and Harrison generated a peak audience of 2.233 million viewers, securing the No. 2 position for boxing’s highest-viewed bout in 2019 per Nielsen Media Research.
Donovan also added that in January then-unbeaten WBA Welterweight champion Keith Thurman achieved the year’s best peak audience, 2.765 million, coming off a 22-month hiatus to face Josesito Lopez. That fight–like Harrison-Charlo 2–was a PBC on FOX telecast.
Charlo-Harrison Delivered For Viewers
Some of us had our reservations going into this rematch, with regards to whether the action would ever materialize to back up the harsh insults exchanged earlier.
Despite an excellent display of all-around boxing skills, and a pinch of theatrics, Harrison succumbed to Charlo’s power late in the 11th round. The retribution-seeking former champion dropped Harrison in the second with a left hook. A punch he’d undoubtedly envisioned for nearly 365 days.
Harrison’s reputation seemed to be headed for the distinction of fraud. But the Detroit native calmly stood up, quickly found his rhythm and mounted a stand to Charlo’s aggression. Shockingly, he tamed Charlo’s potentially lethal outbursts over the next eight rounds.
Harrison walked Charlo down behind straight punching. He jabbed beautifully in spurts, and he landed tight hooks and uppercuts while inside. His success worked against him in the 11th. Harrison leaned forward – as if taunting Charlo’s inability to solve his rally’s formula–to throw a sweeping left hook. Harrison’s shot found its mark. Simultaneously, Charlo let his own left hook fly, but it landed with greater results.
Harrison’s reaction was truthful. While before Saturday night he had out-witted Charlo with the sharpness of his tongue, here in the ring his chin failed him. His body didn’t allow him to scoff at this last hook like Charlo’s earlier big shots.
Charlo saw his opening immediately. He tracked Harrison as he stumbled off, and the former champion strafed his opponent with a series of left hooks that sent the Detroit native to the canvas. Harrison fought to fight on knowing he’d told the world Charlo could never beat him.
He beat the count and managed to assure referee Jack Reiss he had something left. However, he was unable to fully regroup while under fire from Charlo’s ensuing attack, and Reiss intervened to stave off any unnecessary damage.
Photo credit: Leo Wilson/PBC
So What About This Audience Number?
Harrison’s upset turned a direct route to then-unified, and unbeaten, champion Jarrett Hurd. After spending an unforeseen year being attached to Harrison (he sustained an ankle injury that postponed the rematch), a two-loss fighter with a history of fatigue issues, Charlo likely objects to wasting another minute with him. Expect Charlo to push for a unification fight with the Super Welterweight division’s current unified champion Julian “J Rock” Williams.
Williams has a homecoming title defense against one-loss Jeison Rosario scheduled for January 18 in Philadelphia. After learning a tough lesson with the lucrative Hurd fight slipping away, Charlo will assuredly be on the prowl at Temple’s Liacouras Center.
As for Harrison, the Premier Boxing Champions is an astute outfit. They will realize Harrison and his brash humor’s instrumental role in drawing that 2.233 million peak viewers. The 29-year old’s boxing will either bolster a 2020 PBC on FOX telecast, or he could possibly participate in a “loser go home” bout against the resurgent Erikson Lubin.
Lubin, as an upstart at 154-pounds, sustained his sole loss by a violent KO at the hands of Charlo in 2017. Lubin is on his way back completely, and may need a name like Harrison to validate a second shot at Charlo or Williams.
If Harrison’s path never collides with Lubin, he could possibly find himself in another rematch – against the re-tooled Hurd. Hurd faces Francisco Santana at the Barclays Center January 25 in the co-main event for Danny Garcia vs Ivan Redkach. Hurd recently announced he intends to remain at the 154-pound weight limit.
The former unified champion stopped Harrison in the ninth round of their February 2017 fight for the vacant IBF title, and on the surface a rematch may not make a lot of sense. However, Harrison’s performance may curry enough favor with the decision-makers at PBC to entrust him with such a chance.
Hurd defeating the smaller Santana wouldn’t necessarily provide the answers required to revisit Williams-Hurd 2. The Accoceek, Maryland native may need a more stern test to dive back in those waters.
All of these matters are for the PBC to sort out. As for us fans, well we got ourselves a helluva fight that sets the table nicely for the final PBC card of 2019: two-time champion Gervonta Davis vs Yuriorkis Gamboa.
