Jermall Charlo welcomes showdown with David Benavidez

Jermall Charlo (34-0, 23 KOs) is undoubtedly one of the most talented middleweight fighters in recent times. He’s been a world champion in two different weight classes, and continues to be spoken of among the elite, despite his inactivity and personal problems blighting his career in recent years. 

Charlo recently appeared on the Last Stand with Brian Custer podcast and addressed a potential fight with David Benavidez.

Jermall Charlo talks potential David Benavidez fight

The career of Charlo has been somewhat of an enigma, marked by large periods of inactivity and highly publicized personal struggles that culminated in him missing the catchweight for his November 2023 comeback fight against Jose Benavidez Jr, weighing 166.4 pounds, 3.4 pounds above the limit set of 163 pounds. Charlo ended up winning the bout via a unanimous decision, with scorecards of 100-90, 99-91, and 98-92.

When asked if he still desires the opportunity to face David Benavidez: “I like David Benavidez. I like Jose Benavidez. I like their dad. I like the Benavidez camp. 

“This is the new big Charlo. I love boxing. If it makes sense, I’ll fight Jose, David, and his daddy in the same night. I don’t know what they’re talking about,” added Charlo.

“I’m not saying that I wouldn’t fight David Benavidez, because I’m big enough now. I guess his daddy can tell him he (Jermall) missed a couple of weight cuts. He might be trying to come up,” added Charlo.

The future for Jermall Charlo

The future for Jermall Charlo remains unclear. With him missing weight in recent years, a fight against Benavidez doesn’t appear out of the question. However, he was linked with a fight against Caleb Plant in the run-up to his sixth-round TKO win over Thomas LaManna.

Mike Coppinger from The Ring Magazine recently reported that talks are ongoing for the two fighters to meet in 2026. Charlo and Plant have a history dating back to when Plant slapped Charlo during Terence Crawford vs Errol Spence fight week.

Charlo appears more focused on his career now than he has been in recent years. Who would you like to see the Texan fighter face?