Jermall Charlo Wants Canelo Next — But Won't Chase Him

Jermall Charlo has a name circled on his hit list, and it's a familiar one. The former middleweight titlist told Fight Hub TV he wants Canelo Alvarez before he hangs up the gloves — but made it clear he won't spend his career begging for the fight. At 36, Charlo is pitching himself as a legacy opponent, not a chaser.

The subtext isn't hard to read. Canelo beat Jermall's twin brother Jermell by unanimous decision in 2023, and avenging that is clearly part of the draw. First, though, Charlo has his own business to handle: a super-middleweight return against Koen Mazoudier on October 17. Win that and he's angling to become a three-division champ, having already held major belts at 154 and 160.

Canelo's Got Bigger Problems First

Any Charlo talk is theoretical until Canelo clears his own plate. The Mexican, 63-2-2 with 39 knockouts, faces WBC champion Christian Mbilli in Riyadh on October 31 — both men's first outing since their respective September 2025 nights. Canelo's last fight was the one that still stings: a unanimous-decision loss to Terence Crawford that cost him his undisputed crown.

Crawford, now 42-0, promptly retired and vacated the titles. That cleared the runway for Mbilli, who was bumped from interim to full WBC champion after his 10-round draw with Lester Martinez. So the Frenchman walks into Riyadh with a real belt and plenty to prove against a Canelo looking to reset the narrative.

How Many Fights Left?

Canelo himself has floated another four or five bouts before he's done, which at least keeps the door cracked for Charlo and everyone else lining up. That's a generous runway for a 36-year-old coming off a decisive loss, and it means a few more marquee names could get their shot.

For now, Charlo's pitch is honest if unglamorous: he wants it, he thinks he's an obvious fit, and he's not going to lose sleep if it doesn't happen. Mazoudier on the 17th is the only name that matters to him right now. Everything else — the Canelo grudge, the three-division dream — rides on him getting past that first.