‘You always want to fight the top guy’: Everything Jermell Charlo said at LA press conference for Canelo fight

Jermell Charlo has the biggest opportunity of his career lined up on Sept. 30, when he faces Canelo Alvarez for Canelo’s undisputed super middleweight championship.

Charlo (35-1-1, 19 KO) understands that people were surprised when it turned out Canelo (59-2-2, 39 KO) would be fighting him and not his twin brother Jermall, but says he had no hesitation.

“When I got the call there was nothing I could say other than, ‘Jump on it. Let’s go and let’s get it.’ My whole career has been about almost chasing Canelo,” he said.

“Canelo’s been a top guy for a long time, and when you wanna be great, you always want to fight the top guy. I see Robert Diaz in the crowd, he remembers from Golden Boy us always trying to work and trying to possibly get that fight.

“It presented itself now. It’s here. I just gotta get in there and do my job the best that I can do, and be the best that I can be.”

Everything Jermell Charlo said at the LA press conference

“How could this (be the fight) that could be a sell-out to the world and seems to be so big? When you’ve got the undisputed king at 168, and I’m the undisputed king at 154 — I got the call and a lot of people were asking that question. They didn’t understand what was going on. They were listening to the wrong people. ESPN ain’t with us, and all the reporters that did it all wrong, they didn’t understand.

“When I got the call there was nothing I could say other than, ‘Jump on it. Let’s go and let’s get it.’ My whole career has been about almost chasing Canelo. Canelo’s been a top guy for a long time, and when you wanna be great, you always want to fight the top guy. I see Robert Diaz in the crowd, he remembers from Golden Boy us always trying to work and trying to possibly get that fight.

“It presented itself now. It’s here. I just gotta get in there and do my job the best that I can do, and be the best that I can be.

“It’s gonna be exciting. We’re bringing boxing back to the best it can be this year. We’re gonna give y’all a bang for your buck. Lions Only.”

On Canelo’s English: “Man, who taught him English? His shit got good!”

On what people will say about him after Sept. 30: “I think they’re going to appreciate my skills and what I’ve been doing for so long. They’re going to believe and know that every fight, I come to put on a hell of a show, but I’m also dangerous at the same time. People will be calling me great. That’s it. I want to be known as great after this.”

On what Canelo will find out: “That I’m not just ‘The Little Charlo,’ I’m the Big Charlo. He’s gonna realize that I am what I say I am. Canelo will see I pack good punching power, I’ve got good lateral movement. I’m a general, just like he is. He’ll see that it won’t be a walk in the park. And just like (he says) he’s going to do something different and do something better, same thing with me. But I’m not going to over-train or over-think it, I’m just gonna get in there and do what I do and have fun.”

On why fans should watch: “I’m gonna bring that Texas heat. I’m coming to show up and show out. I’m gonna have fun, I’m gonna do what I do and love to do. I’m gonna represent the culture, the people that represent me. We’re gonna put on a show, and of course be undisputed champ at super middleweight. Then we’ll figure out the rest. Hopefully I become a three-time and nobody can be that. Somebody tell the WBO to give me my belt so I can be two-time undisputed.”