A return by Jermall Charlo in February; he says so himself

Jermall Charlo, the undefeated WBC middleweight champion (32-0, 22 knockouts), has been absent from the scene for the last 17 months without defending his championship. His identical twin brother Jermell is the more ambitious undisputed 154-pound champion.

The World Boxing Council has not explained why they have not suspended Jermall or given him the emeritus status they give to wounded champions.

It would be in the best interest of the WBC to remove Jermall’s title for inactivity if he does not return to the ring in February, giving the other fighters in their ranks a chance to compete for the championship.

Charlo, 32, has not revealed his February opponent, but if he keeps to his original schedule, it would be his first fight in the ring in 20 months.

It must be excruciating for the WBC’s top contenders to have to wait for an inactive Jermall to make his yearly championship defense.

Jermall was supposed to defend his title this year against then-ranked sixth in the World Boxing Council (WBC) Maciej Sulecki, however the bout never took place. In June of 2021, Charlo fought against Juan Macias Montiel and won a unanimous decision after 12 rounds, although he looked terrible the whole time.

Jermall Charlo

I simply wanted to make sure everything was okay. Jermall Charlo said on Friday, “I’ll be returning shortly,” indicating his return after an extended absence. It’s February and I’ll be back then. There’s a chance that January is possible. Not in February.

I need an Instagram expert to come over and show me the ropes. For that reason, I’ve been somewhat quiet lately,” Jermall said. A month of February is what I’m giving you. I plan to come back in February. Prepare yourself. Jermall warned, “Keep it secured.”

Due to the lengthy absence, Jermall will need to defend his WBC belt against mandatory challenger Carlos Adames.

Charlo has successfully defended the WBC title five times since she first won it in 2018, against relatively unimpressive opponents.

Charlo has to return to the ring and start fighting more often than once a year if he wants the opportunity to face Canelo Alvarez for a huge payoff. He has already fought just once in 2021 and 2020, and he will miss the whole of 2022.