WBC Middleweight World Champion Jermall Charlo successfully defended his title against Juan Montiel, for the fourth time, in front of his hometown of Houston, TX in what was billed as a Juneteenth Day boxing celebration.
The headlining bout was full of excitement from the beginning of the fight until the final bell. Charlo threw a career-high 769 punches, but that didn’t stop Montiel from pressing forward.
During the opening round, Montiel used a slightly unorthodox boxing style to dictate the pace of the round, while Charlo stayed patient, looking to understand his opponent’s movement. Montiel was able to gain confidence, even taunted the champ early on. That wouldn’t last long, as Charlo increased his punch output, which included several power shots that slowed down the challenger.
Despite the size and power advantage of Jermall Charlo, Montiel was able to find holes in the champ’s offense which allowed him to slightly recover at moments during the fight, and was able to find several openings to land hard shots of his own.
During the eighth round, Charlo suffered the first cut of his career, but it wasn’t enough to slow down the champ in front of the hometown fans. Charlo continued to show superior boxing and a well-rounded game that allowed him to earn a decisive decision win. The scorecards read 118-109, 119-109, and 120-108.
Following the fight, Charlo made it known he would like to unify the 160-pound titles in a fight with Gennady Golovkin, as well as a fight with Canelo Alvarez if he’s willing to come down in weight.
During the fight, Charlo looked his best when using his jab and footwork to initiate the offense. He was able to score points and land damaging shots, despite Montiel absorbing the majority of those shots with his chin. Once Charlo fell into the trap of brawling, Montiel was able to capitalize with counter shots of his own, including some hard uppercuts that appeared to hurt him.
If Charlo is looking to unify the division’s titles, he will have to use his well-rounded boxing skills to control the pace of the fight, and not brawl with the heavy hitters. That could make for a long night.