Canelo Reigns Supreme Over Jermell Charlo!

The debate over whether or not Canelo Alvarez was ducking the Charlo brothers is finally over. Last Saturday's main event was the defining factor in whether or not the famed Mexican fighter has been avoiding competition, settling many disagreements across the boxing community. Jermell Charlo was often rendered helpless across the 12-round stretch, suffering mostly from Canelo's ability to cut off the ring and chase him everywhere he went. No matter which direction Charlo found himself stepping in, there was nothing he could do to stop the incessant forward pressure of Canelo. Many people thought Charlo's power would scare Canelo off and force him to fight on the outside, but this was nowhere to be found. Instead, it was Canelo who was mercilessly firing off power shots to the body to slow Charlo down. In fact, most of Canelo's punches appeared to be body shots, once again heavily favoring his left and right hook to the body as is customary for his fighting style. One feature of Canelo's offensive work that many people haven't discussed surrounding his performance is his use of the jab. The jab disappeared against John Ryder, Canelo's last opponent, but against Charlo, the jab was his primary range-finder.

Similar to his three battles against GGG and his master-class performance against Callum Smith, Canelo fired off two jabs to close distance and threw out devastating hooks to finish. It’s important to note that Charlo's defense was accurate, there were plenty of punches that he parried and caught on his guard, but the lack of response afterward led him to be overpowered by the sheer volume that was coming his way. It can be frustrating fighting someone as offensively sound as Canelo, sometimes it feels like you have to wait your turn to punch because he doesn't stop throwing. Trainer of the Year Derrick James was unable to enact his game plan, creating a troubling situation for himself and his fighter. Charlo couldn't counterpunch effectively, or make Canelo bite hard on his feints. It takes two to tango in the main event, and Canelo's superiority in the ring only shined so brightly because Charlo allowed it. Had he given Canelo a tougher challenge, and made him bite down on the gumshield, the narrative surrounding this fight would be much different. The same could be said of prior mandatory challenger Avni Yildirim, who many remember for being steamrolled and rendered helpless by Canelo in their fight. Hopefully, Jermell Charlo isn't added to those ranks, but the boxing community is often harsh and unforgiving. In his post-fight press conference, Charlo seemed dead-set on challenging the Undisputed Welterweight World Champion Terrence Crawford. This would be another major step up in competition for Charlo, but the world isn't convinced that he would do any better against the current confident ruler of the welterweights. One thing is for certain- Canelo isn't scared of any of the young bucks looking to take his crown. The king of the super middleweight division is here to stay.