Original reports had undisputed Junior Middleweight champion Jermell Charlo, of Houston returning in April to make his title defense against Tium Tszyu of Australia. That return date of April. is likely only positive thinking and is far too aggressive a time frame according to sources close to the undisputed 154-pound world champ. He is reportedly recovering from two separate breaks in his hand. The hand is recovering as expected and Charlo is doing well. However, it's two to two and a half months away from even being able to return to normal boxing activity. At this time, he can resume and restart training camp. At the current time and with the normal recovery time the bout will likely be rescheduled for mid-June, not April. According to the source close to Charlo, they are looking at mid-June.
Jermell Charlo vs Tim Tszyu & The WBO UPDATE
Undisputed Jr Middleweight champ and Houston native Jermell Charlo was set to defend all the straps against Tim Tszyu of Australia, the son of legendary former 140-pound world champ Kostya Tszyu. That fight is off, at least for the time being, due to a hand injury suffered by Jermell Charlo.
Charlo provided a doctor's note from an orthopedic specialist from the Houston Methodist Orthopedics & Sports MedicineSugar land. The letter was dated December 23rd. Three days after injuring his hand during a mid-week sparring session. It is signed by Dr. Vincent Chau Phan and states, “He [Charlo] has sustained a left scaphoid fracture and 5th metacarpal base fracture. He will be placed in a short arm cast at this time. It is my recommendation that Jermell should refrain from upper extremity training that involves impact for 2 months.”
This was apparently not sufficient for the WBO as they issued A Notice of Medical Certification was issued to Charlo. Additionally, told WBO Championship Committee chairman Luis Batista-Salas told event promoter Tom Brown Mr. Charlo is hereby ordered to submit within the next 5 days upon issuance of this notice a detailed medical explanation of his injury, findings, recovery prognosis, and his orthopedic specialist’s opinion as to when will he be physically and medically cleared to compete and return to active competition,”
This means that Charlo will have until New Year's Day, Jan 1, 2023, to produce the document. It appears that Charlo has provided this in his original letter from Doctor Phan. It documented the injury and duration. It's from a licensed doctor who is anorthopedic specialist. So it's unclear exactly what more Charlo could provide.
There are also rumors that Tszyu will fight former world champion Tony Harrison in a bout for the WBO Interim title. Or that Harrison could fight Bakhram Murtazaliev in an eliminator. It's a fluid situation at the current time. However, one thing is certain the January 28th fight scheduled for Las Vegas is off atleast for now.
Jermell Charlo Suffers Multiple Breaks in Left hand, Tszyu Fight PPD
The only thing that has been able to slow down undisputed 154-Pound world champion Jermell Charlo over recent years has been inactivity. The younger Charlo twin has fought just once in 2020, 2021, and 2022. Despite the inactivity, the Houston native has been able to unify all four junior middleweight world titles. Unfortunately, Charlo will be out of the ring a bit longer suffering a major setback that will keep the undisputed champ out of the ring a little longer. Charlo was scheduled to fight No. 1 contender Tim Tszyu, on January 28, that fight has now been officially postponed.
Charlo broke multiple bones in his left hand as a result of a sparring session in his home gym in Houston this past Tuesday. He had a bone
between the pinkie and ring finger and suffered a separate break in his thumb. The Houstonian got two opinions, visiting separate hand specialists in Houston. The hand has been placed in a cast, where it will remain for two months.
Tszyu, the son of former 140-pound world champ Kostya Tszyu, expressed disappointment in the postponement of the fight. Charlo stated, "It’s even more dangerous when a lion faces adversity and has to come back to defend the pride. I’ve been training since July, and I’ve been hitting harder than ever, and these are the things that happen when you push yourself to the limits. After my hand heals, I’m coming back stronger than ever to defend my legacy.’’
There has been no date or venue announced for the rescheduling of the bout.
Jermell Charlo Set to Return Against Tim Tszyu
Undisputed Jr Middleweight champion and Houston Native Jermell Charlo, 35-1-1 (19), will stay at 154 pounds and defend all the belts against WBO mandatory challenger Tim Tszyu, 21-0 (15), of New South Wales, Australia. The bout is scheduled for January 28th, 2023. More than six months out. The location of the bout is not yet determined. Tszyu underwent hand surgery back in May, several weeks after his points victory over former US olympian Terrell Gausha. The injury is perhaps the reason for the delay in the fight, but that is far more than the timetable for typical recovery suggests. Tszyu is the son of legendary former Jr welterweight champ and Hall of Famer Kostya Tszyu.
It has been reported that the Houstonian wanted the bout in October. This means Charlo would have fought multiple times in the same calendar year for the first time since 2019. He fought just once in 2020-2022. Having last fought in May, when he stopped then WBO champ Brian Brian Castano of Argentina. It was their second bout in 10 months. Their first bout was in the summer of 2021 and ended in a disputed draw. A fight most thought the Argentinian deserved the nod in. Charlo set the record straight by knocking out the WBO champ in the 10th round of the rematch to become the first man to unify all four belts in the 154-pound division in the four-belt era. It is unclear if the younger Charlo twin will start at 154 pounds beyond this next fight. If he wants to, he will have to start fighting more often. His other mandatories are thought to be called very shortly meaning he will be given timetables to fight the likes of Sebastian Fundora and Bakhram Murtazaliev. If Charlo does not meet those mandatories, he risks being stripped of those titles. Murtazaliev is coming up on three years as IBF mandatory.