{"id":70758,"date":"2018-03-09T16:16:26","date_gmt":"2018-03-09T21:16:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/?p=70758"},"modified":"2018-03-09T17:21:46","modified_gmt":"2018-03-09T22:21:46","slug":"a-tale-of-two-charlos-love-em-or-hate-em","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/?p=70758","title":{"rendered":"A Tale of Two Charlos: Love \u2018Em or Hate \u2018Em?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>By Joe \u201cMoJoe\u201d Mollric<\/strong><\/p>\n

In sports (and life in general) it\u2019s not uncommon to come across somebody who you instantly don\u2019t care for. More often than not, it will be something subtle that you can\u2019t 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\u2019t like the guys who run roughshod over their favorite fighters and never fail to let the world know that they just did it. <\/p>\n

There are few fighters in this category that exceed the Charlo Twins. Jermall, 26-0, 20 KO\u2019s and brother Jermell, 30-0, 15 KO\u2019s 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\u2019s current version of an antihero.<\/p>\n

As a journalist, it\u2019s important to remain unbiased when covering athletes, but I just can\u2019t help it. I can\u2019t get enough of these guys. I think they\u2019re 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\u2026 This is what the modern day boxing culture breeds. You can\u2019t reach the heights these two have without believing to your core, that you\u2019re simply better than everybody else. Granted, they may go a bit overboard in voicing these opinions, but that\u2019s what\u2019s great about boxing. If you don\u2019t like what someone is saying, you have every opportunity to punch them in the face.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s (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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

After gathering himself, Williams made his way over to Charlo\u2019s corner to congratulate him like we\u2019ve seen so many times before, however, this time, the victor wasn\u2019t 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\u2019t show the same composure. Boo\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

This is the very essence of why I\u2019m such a huge fan of these two. While I certainly don\u2019t 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\u2019m looking at you Mayweather, JR. and McGregor). The Charlos don\u2019t play that game. If you\u2019re 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\u2019re not going to brush it off as hype. They believe words mean things and won\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also important to remember as fans, it\u2019s easy for us to criticize athletes for what they say in the heat of the moment but let\u2019s not forget what goes into these instances. For months on end, these fighters are focused on one goal. They\u2019re 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\u2019re pitted against another person whose sole intent is to hurt them in front of the whole world. We can\u2019t 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\u2019re relishing it, somebody insists on making you answer questions that you\u2019re not prepared to answer. It\u2019s uncomfortable and unfair.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re entitled to your opinion. You can hate the Charlo twins for whatever reason you want. Just know that they\u2019re out there and they\u2019re listening. Personally, I hope they don\u2019t change one bit.<\/p>\n