Undefeated WBC Middleweight World Champion Jermall Charlo (30-0, 22 KOs) successfully defended his title for the second time, stopping highly-ranked Irish contender Dennis Hogan (28-3-1, 7 KOs) with a one-punch knockout in the seventh round Saturday night live on SHOWTIME from Barclays Center.
“I made it through 2019, and we’re going to 2020 with 20/20 vision,” said Charlo in the ring following the fight. “Shout out to Dennis Hogan for giving me real competition and for coming up to fight me. Of course, my power prevailed tonight.
While Charlo is a champion at 160, it might be tough for him to get the other top guys in the middleweight division. Unified middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez(WBA and WBC Franchise belt), WBO middleweight champion Demetrius Andrade, and IBF middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin are all with DAZN. Therefore, Charlo, who is with PBC, will have a hard time unifying the division, and he knows it.
“I’m taking the fights as they come,” Charlo said at the post-fight press conference. “I like to look at myself, damn, I’m in the position like Terence Crawford. One of the best in the world, top guy. He just gotta get the fights that he can get, and keep going.”
Charlo definitely wants the best, and he reiterated that on Saturday night.
“Don’t let the network and the politics fool you,” Charlo said. “I’m here to fight.”
It would be great to see Charlo fight the top guys at 160, just like it would be great to see Crawford get the top guys at 147, but the politics of boxing are standing in the way.
For now, it seems that Charlo will probably fight Chris Eubank Jr., who defeated Matt Korobov by TKO on Saturday night after Korobov could not continue after injuring his shoulder, or possibly a fight with another PBC fighter, Sergiy Derevyanchenko, who recently lost to Golovkin. Both of those fights would be intriguing, but you would love to see Charlo fight Alvarez, Andrade, or Golovkin.
