Just a day prior to one of the biggest fights of his career, Jermell Charlo has been stripped off his super welterweight world title. This news did come out as a shock to a lot of boxing fans who initially did not know the reason behind it happening.
The title has now been given to Tim Tszyu, who was delighted to know that he would be the new champion of the WBO welterweight division. Jermell Charlo, who was originally supposed to face Tszyu but chose to fight Canelo Alvarez instead, was stripped off the belt for not fighting his mandatory opponent.
Why did WBO strip Jermell Charlo of his world title?
Back in January, Jermell Charlo was about to fight Tim Tszyu for the Undisputed titles. However, a hand injury prevented Charlo from facing off against Tsyzu twice before he finally chose to fight Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. The WBO had made a ruling in August that allowed Canelo vs Charlo to be called as an undisputed vs undisputed fight.
However, they had given out a clear statement saying that the minute the bell goes for the first round, Charlo would be stripped of his world title. This meant that Tim Tszyu who used to hold the interim-light middleweight title, will now be the new WBO full world champion.
This move also enraged and disheartened a lot of boxing fans, as they did not expect this to happen just before the fight. Fans insisted how crazy it is to strip a fighter off his belt just prior to his fight.
Canelo remained unbothered about any of these behind the scene actions that were going around. He even nonchalantly commented on the Logan Paul vs Dillon Danis fight.
Who is in line to become the next champion?
The WBO welterweight world title has now been passed on to Tim Tszyu. The Australian fighter was delighted to receive the title, and the unbeaten boxer has vowed to become one of the greatest in a year’s time, and he is already on the path to achieving it.
This decision also means that Tszyu’s next fight, most likely in October, will be a world title defense. The venue for these events could be cities in Australia as well as the USA due to his growing popularity there.
Tim had thrown sly jabs at Charlo before as well, saying how he is trying to avoid the mandatory fight, and go the other route as he knows he would have lost if he had taken up the mandatory fight. Not surprisingly, a lot of the fans feel the same.
What are your thoughts on WBO’s action? Do you feel Charlo deserved to retain the title despite not facing Tszyu? Share your take with us below.
