Jermall Charlo Successful in Fourth Title Defense

Jermall Charlo successfully defended his WBA middleweight championship against Juan Marcias Montiel Saturday night in front of a hometown crowd in Houston, Texas. But the hotly contested fight turned into a back-and-forth brawl that included more drama than many fans expected.

Jermall Charlo won a unanimous decision with wide margins of victory on all three judges’ scorecards. But fans who only see the scorecards may walk away without a good idea of what happened in the fight. Montiel fought for twelve rounds like a man who came to take a title from the champion. Charlo equaled the challenger’s efforts and fought like a champion refusing to relinquish his crown.

Charlo dealt consistent damage to his opponent throughout the fight. He appeared to hurt Montiel several times but was unable to stop him.

Juan Montiel rallied over the second half of the fight and was able to makeJermall Charlo trade blows with him. Montiel landed body shots in both the eighth and ninth rounds that bothered Charlo. The Mexican challenger also opened a cut above the champion’s right eye in the ninth round.

Jermall Charlo congratulated Montiel on a great fight and credited the challenger with being a true warrior. Charlo says Montiel continued fighting “no matter what I hit him with.”

Juan Montiel says his hunger to become a champion carried him through the rough times the fight presented to him. Montiel says he proved Saturday night he belongs with the best fighters in the division. He also said he is ready for whatever challenge he must face next.

Jermall Charlo is now 32-0 with 22 victories by knockout. He out-landed Montiel two to one on compuBox numbers en route to his fourth successful title defense. The 201 power punches landed by Charlo were the most in his career. “My city was behind me,” was Charlo’s response when asked how he found the energy to fight off Montiel’s late-fight rallies. “I went to work.”