Tim Bradley says Canelo Alvarez has chosen the ideal time to fight 154-pounder Jermell Charlo for their September 30th contest on Showtime PPV.
Bradley feels that if Canelo (59-2-2, 39 KOs) had fought Jermell (35-1-1, 19 KOs) years ago when the two were both fighting at 154, it would be a different fight, but now with the Mexican star has been competing in the 168-lb weight class since 2018, he’s going to have a tremendous advantage over the 33-year-old Charlo.
Jermell will not only be moving up two divisions to compete in a weight class that he’s never fought before, but he’ll also be coming off a sixteen-month layoff since his last fight in May 2022 against Brian Castano.
Bradley notes that the small 5’7″ Castano was able to back Jermell up in both of their fights, and that’s what Canelo does quite well. He’ll back Jermell up, set traps, and punish him to the body & head, forcing him to retreat to escape the punishment.
Tim notes that the 32-year-old Canelo is on the “tail end” of his long 18-year career and showing signs of slowing down. However, Canelo has picked the right guy for him to beat by selecting Jermell and staying away from the big three: David Benavidez, Dmitry Bivol, and David Morrell Jr. Those guys would likely all beat Canelo and expose his ring wear.
Jermell will be competitive
“I think any fight is competitive. When you have a guy that possessed the type of metal that both these guys bring into the ring and have accomplished over the years. I mean, Charlo’s no slouch,” said Tim Bradley to Fighthype. “He knows how to fight, he knows how to operate inside that ring.
“Canelo, on the other hand, is the same thing. He’s the cash cow of boxing. Whether you say he’s fought tough opposition or not, he has over 16 World Championships, and that’s for a reason.
“So you got to respect Charlo for taking this fight. He’s, believe it or not, he’s a smaller man. I understand he has the longer reach, but he’s a smaller man. There are no ifs or buts about it. There’s no doubt that Canelo is more robust in every single way,” said Bradley.
When you look at Jermell’s fights where he’s dealt with pressure from his opponents, he’s struggled and looked uncomfortable. We saw that from Jermell in these fights:
– Brian Castano
– Tony Harrison
– Vanes Martirosyan
– Gabriel Rosado
– Austin Trout
The question is can Jermell handle the nonstop pressure Canelo will be putting on him in this fight? This writer has serious doubts about whether he’ll be up to the task.
Charlo can dish it out but can’t take punishment in return, and he’s not as robust as Canelo or as courageous. If Jermell had Canelo’s bravery, he wouldn’t have stayed at 154 his entire career because he had more than enough size to move up to 160 and 168 to compete with killers like Gennadiy Golovkin & David Benavidez.
“He’s shown over the years he can take a punch,” said Bradley. “He’s been in there with light heavyweights, for Christ’s sake, so it’s going to be tough for Charlo. Although he does have the reach, he does have boxing ability. We saw a little bit of that when he fought against [Brian] Castano the second time around.
“He stayed off the ropes for more parts of the fight than the first time around. So he was able to make adjustments, and he has a good jab, and he has really good fundamentals.
“He has a great right hand, solid left foot, and a full arsenal of punches. But again, he’s still a 154-pounder. Castano was able to back him up and put the pressure on him. That’s what Canelo does. Think about that.”
Canelo is crafty
“Canelo again, and I continue to say this. With all due respect, he’s at the tail-end of his career; he really is. You can tell his body’s starting to get tired,” said Bradley. “You can tell that he’s less inspired, and this is the type of fight that we should have had this fight years ago when both these guys were in his weight class.
“There’s this thing in boxing that we sometimes overlook. It’s timing. I’m talking about timing when a fight is being signed, sealed, and delivered, and I feel like he’s getting Charlo at the right time.
“He’s well oversized, this guy. He’s stronger, can take a punch, can deliver a punch. He’s shown that he has a definitely great defense coming behind the high guard. He does various pool counters and goes down to the body well and sets you up, and sets traps.
“Canelo’s crafty, man, and that’s the reason why he’s been successful. He’s extremely crafty. He should win this fight, hands down. Canelo should win this fight,” said Bradley.
