Jermall Charlo says he wants to fight David Benavidez

The feud between WBC middleweight Jermall Charlo and former two-time WBC super-middleweight champion David Benavidez has gone on for well over a year. 

They have bickered back and forth on social media and through the press. In the past, Charlo has said Benavidez needs to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and be at least 25-years-old. Those feelings have made Benavidez spew obscenities towards Charlo, as he feels it's a bunch of excuses for why he doesn't want the fight to happen. Because of these interactions, this is a fight boxing fans have been clamoring for.  

With Canelo Alvarez facing Dmitry Bivol on May 7 on DAZN PPV in the United States and Canada (check your region for availability) and also fighting in September on the global streaming platform, Charlo will need a dance partner if he gets by Maciej Sulecki on June 18. Asked if he had to choose who'd like to step back into the ring with for his second of 2022, Charlo didn't hesitate on Tuesday's edition of The DAZN Boxing Show.

"Benavidez," Charlo blatantly said. "It's a big challenge. He’s a tall kid. He got to make the weight. We got to make the weight. I know that’s not going to be too hard for him, but it's the talk of the town. He talks s— to me. I talk s— back. There’s some beef. It’s like back in the day, J-Rock (Julian Williams). Y'all don't get it. They put him in there; I ended his career. I ended his career. He probably was going to be a nice filly. He went on to win the (junior middleweight) belts, but he ain’t fought a Charlo or nothing like that."

Benavidez returns to action on May 21 against David Lemieux.

Boxing fans have been critical of Charlo's (32-0, 22 KOs) resume since moving up to 160 pounds after winning IBF junior middleweight title and defending the belt on three occasions. Even if he fights Benavidez and picks up the victory, Charlo feels people won't give him credit for jumping up a weight class and beating one of the best in the division. 

"Probably not (get any credit)," Charlo said. "He failed drug tests, missed weight, lost his belts. As a person, he might not care about boxing as much as I do. I got a better team behind me and stuff like that. They're gonna make an excuse, but I gotta do what I gotta do."