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Despite the WBC’s order to face Gennady Golovkin, interim middleweight champion Jermall Charlo could defend his title before year’s end, as there are reportedly talks to pit him against Maciej Sulecki in a PBC on Fox main event.
Charlo himself appears unaware of negotiations.
When contacted by ESPN on Thursday, Charlo, coming off a second-round knockout of Hugo Centeno to win the vacant interimn [sic] belt, also in April, said he was unsure of the date of his next fight and was waiting to talk to adviser Al Haymon about the specifics. Charlo also said he had never heard of Sulecki and that when his next fight was set he would announce it on social media.
Should the fight come together, it will be Charlo’s (27-0, 21 KO) third appearance at 160 pounds. Sulecki (26-1, 10 KO), who also knocked Centeno out when they met in 2016, seemed to have found a home at 154 before answering the call to face Daniel Jacobs in April. Sulecki suffered the first knockdown of his career in that bout en route to a decision loss.
Sulecki is a legit, capable fighter, but giving him a title shot off a clear defeat is dumb. The WBC doesn’t even have him ranked at 160, and he’s only #7 at 154. I mean, I know rankings are arbitrary and often mind-bogglingly stupid, but still.