‘He’s not his brother’: Jermall Charlo says he’s not worried about Jose Benavidez Jr

Jermall Charlo is set to return to action after two and a half years on the sidelines, and as you’ve probably heard, his fight with Jose Benavidez Jr will not be for Charlo’s ridiculously still-held WBC middleweight title.

Instead, it will be a “10-round WBC special event,” whatever that means — they’ll probably make up some silly belt for the occasion — which Benavidez has already used to question Charlo’s discipline.

Charlo (32-0, 22 KO) took a shot at Jose (28-2-1, 19 KO), saying he’s “not his brother” — David, who headlines the evening against Demetrius Andrade — and that he’s “not worried” about the older Benavidez sibling.

“He loses at the top level. He’s not his brother,” Charlo said at a virtual press conference. “He keeps trying to be his brother, but he’s not that. I respect his brother. I’m not worried about Jose. I’m gonna straight up fight him like a man.

“I’m gonna stand in the pocket and fight you. So you better not run. Come to me. Don’t try to do that awkward southpaw stuff. You’re not like that and you’re not ready for me.”

More from Charlo:

“Benavidez is a great fighter and I really don’t have anything bad to say about him. He’s gonna see what it’s about when he’s in there. He can keep running his mouth, because he’s gonna find out.

“My mental abilities have caught up with my physical abilities, so you’re gonna see the best of me. I’m naturally stronger and I’ve really been working on my twitch and my speed. I’ve sparred strong guys, so I should be at the top of my game. I’m ready to blow this dude out.

“I won’t be rusty at all. There’s no excuses in this fight. I hope Benavidez isn’t thinking that I’m gonna be rusty. Because I’ve been working. You’ll see.

“You’re all talk. You ain’t nothing. This is my first step toward potentially fighting at 168 pounds and fighting his brother. This guy here has got little man syndrome. He’s gonna see when he starts eating right hands and jabs.

“I’m not sweating him at all. I’m not one of those fighters who’s gonna let you choke me at the weigh-in or anything like that. We’re gonna beat up his whole town.”