Jermell Charlo facts for kids

Jermell DeAvante Charlo (born May 19, 1990) is an American professional boxer. He is known for being a very strong fighter. From 2022 to 2023, he was the undisputed champion in the light middleweight division. This means he held all the major world titles at that weight at the same time! He also held The Ring light middleweight title from 2020 to 2024.

Jermell has an identical twin brother, Jermall Charlo, who is also a professional boxer and a world champion.

Early Life and Boxing Start

Jermell and his twin brother Jermall were born in Lafayette, Louisiana. Jermell is just one minute younger than Jermall. They both went to Alief Hastings High School in Houston, Texas.

Amateur Boxing Career

The Charlo brothers started boxing because they followed their dad, who used to be a boxer, to the gym. Jermell quickly became a top amateur boxer. When he was 15, he won a bronze medal at the 2005 Junior Olympics. He finished his amateur career with a great record of 56 wins and only 8 losses.

Becoming a Professional Boxer

Starting His Pro Journey

Jermell became a professional boxer when he was 17 years old. His first fight was on December 8, 2007, which he won. In his early career, he won many fights, often by knocking out his opponents. By the time he was 22, Jermell had won 17 fights and had not lost any!

One exciting win was against Chris Chatman. Jermell knocked him out in the third round with a powerful punch. This showed how strong his punches were.

Moving Up the Ranks

Big Wins and Challenges

On June 8, 2013, Jermell fought Demetrius Hopkins. It was a close fight, but Charlo won by a unanimous decision. This meant all the judges thought he won. Later that year, he won another fight by TKO (Technical Knockout) in the last round.

Fighting Gabriel Rosado

In 2014, Jermell faced a tough boxer named Gabriel Rosado. Many people thought this would be his hardest fight yet. But Jermell showed how good he was by winning easily. He landed many more punches than Rosado, proving he was ready for bigger challenges.

Becoming a Champion

On May 21, 2016, Jermell Charlo fought John Jackson for the vacant WBC light middleweight title. This was a very important fight! Jermell was behind on points in the fight, meaning he was losing on the judges' scorecards. But in the eighth round, he landed a huge punch that knocked Jackson out! This made Jermell Charlo a world champion for the first time.

Defending His Title

First Defenses

Jermell successfully defended his WBC title against Charles Hatley on April 22, 2017. He knocked Hatley out in the sixth round with a strong right hook.

Knocking Out Erickson Lubin

On October 14, 2017, Jermell faced the undefeated Erickson Lubin. This fight was very quick! Charlo landed a powerful right hand in the first round that knocked Lubin down. The referee stopped the fight right away, making Jermell win by knockout in the first round. After the fight, Jermell immediately called out other champions, showing he wanted to unify more titles.

Close Fight with Austin Trout

Jermell defended his title again on June 9, 2018, against former world champion Austin Trout. It was a very close fight. Jermell knocked Trout down twice, once in the third round and again in the ninth. In the end, Jermell won by a majority decision, meaning two judges thought he won, and one thought it was a draw.

Losing and Winning Back the Title

On December 22, 2018, Jermell fought Tony Harrison. In a surprising turn of events, Jermell lost the fight by a unanimous decision. This was his first loss as a professional boxer.

However, Jermell was determined to get his title back. He had a rematch with Tony Harrison on December 21, 2019. This time, Jermell won by knockout in the eleventh round, becoming a two-time world light middleweight champion!

Becoming Undisputed Champion

Unifying the Belts

On September 26, 2020, Jermell fought Jeison Rosario in a special fight to unify more titles. Jermell held the WBC title, and Rosario held the WBA (Super), IBF, and IBO light middleweight titles. Jermell won by knockout in the eighth round, which meant he now held four major world titles!

The Road to Undisputed

First Fight with Brian Castaño

Jermell then fought Brian Castaño, who held the WBO light middleweight title, on July 17, 2021. The winner would become the undisputed light middleweight champion, holding all four major belts. It was a very competitive fight, and it ended in a split draw. This meant the judges couldn't agree on a winner, so neither boxer won.

Rematch and Undisputed Glory

Because the first fight was a draw, Jermell and Castaño had a rematch on May 14, 2022. This fight was also very close, just like the first one. But in the tenth round, Jermell scored two knockdowns, and Castaño was too hurt to continue. The referee stopped the fight, and Jermell won by knockout!

With this victory, Jermell Charlo became the undisputed light middleweight champion. He was only the seventh male boxer in history to hold all four major world titles at the same time.

Moving to Super Middleweight

Challenging Canelo Álvarez

After becoming undisputed, Jermell was supposed to defend his title against Tim Tszyu. However, Jermell decided to move up two weight classes to fight the famous undisputed super middleweight champion, Canelo Álvarez, on September 30, 2023. Because he chose to fight Canelo instead of defending his WBO title, the WBO took away his light middleweight belt, and he was no longer the undisputed champion.

Jermell lost the fight against Canelo Álvarez by unanimous decision. On January 27, 2024, the WBC also took away his light middleweight title because he hadn't made it clear when he would return to the ring.

Professional Boxing Record

Pay-Per-View Fights

Jermell Charlo has been part of some big boxing events that people paid to watch on TV.

See also

In Spanish: Jermell Charlo para niños

• List of world light-middleweight boxing champions