Jermall Charlo faces the fight of his life outside the ring despite losing his world title status following an arrest for intoxicated driving.
World Boxing News understands Charlo is facing a possible prison sentence that will not only derail his career but potentially end it for good. The next few weeks will be critical in determining whether Charlo will remain on the consideration list for a lucrative fight against Canelo Alvarez in September.
Only last week, Charlo himself confirmed he would face the Mexican superstar next. But judging by his latest misdemeanors, Charlo has other more important issues to undertake.
TMZ reported that Charlo crashed his Lamborghini into another vehicle, argued with the other driver, and left the scene. Pearland Police chased down Charlo, who ignored calls to stop and needed to be boxed in about a mile away from the collision. Police proceeded to give Charlo a breath test at the station, which came back positive for alcohol. He was subsequently booked on three separate misdemeanor charges.
Charlo’s attorney, Kent Schaffer, told TMZ that no drugs were involved.
“Jermall has been in training. He has not been using any type of drugs. We are optimistic that there will be a good solution.”
Without that ‘good solution,’ Charlo will not be able to cash in what could be a $5 million check for facing Canelo in Las Vegas this fall.
Following the incident, the World Boxing Council finally moved to hand down its punishment on the American boxer. Three years on from his last title defense, the WBC finally revoked support for Charlo’s mental problems attributed to substance abuse.
WBN obtained the full ruling on the matter as Charlo lost his WBC middleweight title status.
“The WBC has provided and will continue to do as much as possible to support Jermall Charlo during his difficult times with regards to mental wellness. The WBC Board of Governors has decided to confirm Carlos Adames as the WBC reigning middleweight champion as he is being elevated from interim champion to WBC World Champion.
Carlos Adames has been exemplarily supportive of every action the WBC took in support of his peers throughout this time. Congratulations, Carlos is the WBC middleweight champion of the world.”
On what’s next for Charlo regarding the WBC ratings, the WBC will consider the twin brother of Jermell for the 168-pound division.
“The WBC will work closely with PBC to secure the best course of action to address Jermall’s current needs. After thoroughly evaluating the situation and understanding the facts and times, the WBC may rank Jermall a super middleweight,” added the WBC statement.
Read all articles and exclusive interviews by Phil Jay. Learn more about the author, experienced boxing writer, and World Boxing News Editor since 2010. Follow on Twitter @PhilJWBN.
