In daring to be great, undisputed junior middleweight world champion Jermell Charlo will move up two weight classes to challenge Canelo Alvarez for his undisputed super middleweight crown on September 30.
With the fight approximately two and a half months away, Charlo’s trainer Derrick James has already pinpointed the keys to victory for his charge’s fighting blueprint against Canelo.
“For him, I believe it’s about speed and athleticism,” James told Fight Hub TV recently.
“So I don’t think you should gain too much weight. I don’t think you should come in at 168 for no reason at all.”
When asked about the ideal weight for Charlo against Canelo, James ruled out any possibility of a catchweight but mentioned an ideal target weight for the 154-pound king to enter the ring come the end of September.
“I say, 163, 164,” James offered.
“That’s what I believe because I want to be fast, I want to be athletic, I want to be mobile. The heavier you are, you maybe a little bit more lethargic, slower.”
He also mentioned how intriguing it will be to see Charlo utilize a strategy that Canelo himself has used against bigger opponents.
“The advantage that Canelo has always had is he’s always been the smaller guy moving up,” James said.
“So, the smaller guy is always faster than the heavier guy. But now, he’s facing a guy who’s smaller than he is, so hence, Jermell will be a lot faster than him.”
Prior to the Canelo fight announcement, Charlo looked to be on a collision course with Tim Tszyu, though James said the former opportunity made it a no-brainer.
“It’s a bigger, better fight than the Tim Tszyu fight,” James said bluntly.
“[Charlo has] made history. Now it’s time to reap the benefits of that.”
Charlo, 33, touts a 35-1-1 record with 19 knockouts.