Charlo delivers big hits in first pay-per-view win
Even with a world championship belt and a perfect record, some thought Jermall Charlo hadn’t been tested enough to be mentioned as an elite fighter.
Charlo was put to the test as the co-headliner, along with his twin brother Jermell, of the first pay-perview card of his career and came through it just fine, winning a unanimous decision over Sergiy Derevyanchenko on Saturday night at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.
“This was the biggest test I was supposed to have had, and I passed the test,” Charlo said shortly after his 118110, 117-111, 116-112 decision victory was announced.
Later, Jermell knocked out Jeison Rosario in the eighth round to unify the super welterweight titles.
Retaining the World Boxing Council middleweight championship didn’t come easy. In fact, just minutes after the bell rang at the end of the 12th round and before the decision was read, Charlo told his trainer Ronnie Shields, “That was a war.”
Charlo (31-0, 22 KOs), who grew up in Alief and trains in Missouri City, had a clear edge early in the fight, using his five-inch reach advantage to keep Derevyanchenko (13-3) at a distance and bank rounds with all three judges giving Charlo the first five rounds.
Charlo cut open a big gash over Derevyanchenko’s right eye in the fifth round, but the 34-year-old Ukrainian turned it on in spurts after that. Charlo appeared to be hurt with a body shot in the eighth round, holding on to the challenger for a bit before closing the round with a big right cross that buckled Derevyanchenko.
That seemed to slow down Derevyanchenko for the next few rounds as Charlo continued to land jabs that eventually swelled both eyes of the challenger.
The damage on Derevyanchenko’s
face was obvious enough, the ring-side doctor asked to examine his eyes before the start of the 10th round.
“I guess his trainer doesn’t care about him as much as my trainer cares about me,” Charlo said after being asked if the fight could have been stopped due to the damage he was dealing. “You see me. I’m still looking good and I’m not going through all that (doctor’s examination). I want to be able to open my eyelids and things of that nature in the future. The world saw me deliver his punishment.”
For Derevyanchenko, it was his third loss in a title fight. His previous two with the belt on the line were a bit controversial as he lost a split decision to Daniel Jacobs and a narrow decision to Gennady Golovkin.
There was no such debate this time.
“Obviously, he gave GGG a tougher test than he gave me, right?,” Charlo said. “So, the (different) levels show.”
Jermell Charlo fought Jeison Rosario in a unification fight for the super welterweight belt late Saturday.