A Tale of Two Charlos: Love ‘Em or Hate ‘Em?

By Joe “MoJoe” Mollric

In sports (and life in general) it’s not uncommon to come across somebody who you instantly don’t care for. More often than not, it will be something subtle that you can’t quite put your finger on. The way they act, their mannerisms, how they talk to people or just the way they carry themselves can all be off putting personality traits that just rub you the wrong way. Regardless of the root cause for your disdain, they almost always share one trait – Success. Nobody hates a journeyman. They don’t like the guys who run roughshod over their favorite fighters and never fail to let the world know that they just did it.

There are few fighters in this category that exceed the Charlo Twins. Jermall, 26-0, 20 KO’s and brother Jermell, 30-0, 15 KO’s are two of the most polarizing athletes in the sport. Known in the boxing community for their superior technical ability inside the ring, they tend to garner a great deal of attention for their flashy attire and seemingly endless repertoire of trash talk. Combine that with brutally honest press conferences and post-fight interviews and you have the makings of boxing’s current version of an antihero.

As a journalist, it’s important to remain unbiased when covering athletes, but I just can’t help it. I can’t get enough of these guys. I think they’re exactly what this sport needs to propel it back into the national spotlight. I love the fire and brashness that these two bring to each and every fight, interview, sparring session, etc… This is what the modern day boxing culture breeds. You can’t reach the heights these two have without believing to your core, that you’re simply better than everybody else. Granted, they may go a bit overboard in voicing these opinions, but that’s what’s great about boxing. If you don’t like what someone is saying, you have every opportunity to punch them in the face.

While each twin has an impressive amateur career, they started really making waves on a national scale in 2015 when they ran through the milling ranks of the super welterweight division in style. In that year the two had a combined record of 5-0, 3 KO’s (and 2 other wins coming via unanimous decision) dispatching the likes of Michael Finney, Cornelius Bundrage, Willy Campfort, Joachim Alcine and Vanes Martirosyan. During that run, Jermall garnered a bit more attention for collecting the IBF world title with his victory over the aforementioned Bundrage, which lead to an even more exciting 2016 for the twins.

On May 21st, 2016 the world was put on notice when the young lions were shown on national television on the same card. Jermell lead off by capturing the WBC world title with a dominant 8th round KO of John Jackson. Jermall followed that up with a convincing UD win over Austin Trout that was supposed to give him far more difficulty. That win setup a showdown with white hot prospect Julian Williams later in the year. The build up to this fight was riddled with animosity between the two that contained some NSFW verbal sparring and pre-fight altercations. Therein lies the precursor to the current perception of Jermall. While both fighters had their moments, it was Charlo that landed a thunderous uppercut to end Williams night in the 5th round.

After gathering himself, Williams made his way over to Charlo’s corner to congratulate him like we’ve seen so many times before, however, this time, the victor wasn’t having it. Instead of embracing his opponent he rebuffed the challengers advances and went right into taunting him. Fortunately, Williams had the peace of mind to ignore him and walk away, but the fans at the Galen Center didn’t show the same composure. Boo’s rained down on Charlo from the crowd after the perceived slight and intensified as Jermall gave a less than apologetic post fight interview in the ring, hence giving fans the fuel, they needed to perpetuate their disdain for the young champion.

This is the very essence of why I’m such a huge fan of these two. While I certainly don’t want to promote unsportsmanlike behavior, I love to see a fighter stand his ground regardless of the chatter around him. In the current boxing climate, pre-fight build up contains a lot of phony trash talk and hype only to be followed up with hugs and good feelings in the ring afterwards (I’m looking at you Mayweather, JR. and McGregor). The Charlos don’t play that game. If you’re going to talk a big game in order to sell tickets, be warned, Jermell and Jermall are listening to every word your saying and they’re not going to brush it off as hype. They believe words mean things and won’t forgive you just because you showed the courage to get in the ring. They want to make you pay. Julian Williams learned this the hard way.

It’s also important to remember as fans, it’s easy for us to criticize athletes for what they say in the heat of the moment but let’s not forget what goes into these instances. For months on end, these fighters are focused on one goal. They’re consumed by a singularity to the point to where every waking moment is geared toward an instant that we as viewers simply tune in to when the time comes. Then on top of that, they’re pitted against another person whose sole intent is to hurt them in front of the whole world. We can’t get upset when they say something brash while the adrenalin is still pumping and somebody thrusts a microphone in there face and asks them silly questions. Think about it. Go back to one of your most triumphant moments in life and while you’re relishing it, somebody insists on making you answer questions that you’re not prepared to answer. It’s uncomfortable and unfair.

You’re entitled to your opinion. You can hate the Charlo twins for whatever reason you want. Just know that they’re out there and they’re listening. Personally, I hope they don’t change one bit.

[si-contact-form form=’2′]