Jermell Charlo will stake his WBC super welterweight title and unbeaten record against Tony Harrison in the co-main event of the PBC’s triple header showcase on December 22, 2018 at the Barclays Center in New York.
Jermell’s twin brother Jermall will defend the interim WBC middleweight title against Matt Korobov in the main event. Jermall won the right to headline the event after winning a coin flip over his equally talented twin brother. Saturday’s event will mark the first time that twin brother world champions will fight on the same card.
Jermell won the WBC super welterweight title by stopping John Jackson in 2016. He has since defended the belt three times, knocking out Charles Hatley and Ericsson Lubin while decisioning former champion Austin Trout in his most recent title defense. Meanwhile, Tony Harrison lost in his first attempt at a world title, suffering a 9th round TKO loss to Jarrett Hurt when the two fought for the IBF super welterweight title vacated by the other Charlo twin, Jermall. Since that loss, Harrison has picked up three straight wins to earn a crack at Jermell’s belt.
As for Charlo, the champ must be patient and not get frustrated if he doesn’t get the early kill. Harrison is an opponent who can match him in athleticism and skills. However, Charlo definitely has more pop in his punches and if he takes his time, I have no doubt he will land his big punches and get the stoppage here. Jermell is the less powerful twin but he’s recorded four stoppages in his last five bouts.
Jermell has shown that he can be frustrated if he doesn’t land his punches early in the fight. When he does, he displays defensive lapses and may be susceptible to getting hit and eventually hurt. But if he learns to be patient here, I think he will figure Harrison in the middle rounds and stop him late.
Tony Harrison came up short against Willie Nelson and Jarrett Hurd despite the fact that he was leading big in the scorecards of both fights. Harrison is an excellent boxer with great movement. He started out strong in both fights but later faded and was stopped both times. Technically, Harrison is right up there with the best in the division. However, he must improve his pacing and stamina so he can finish fights the way he starts them.
For Harrison to beat Charlo, he must keep his opponent’s guard up by consistently throwing jabs and combinations. That way, Jermell gets to think about defense rather than let the champ concentrate on his offense which could be disastrous for the challenger. At the same time, the Detroit native must be economical with his movement. He must be able to pace himself and know when to push the tempo and when to step on the breaks. He can’t go all-out all the time and fade in the end.
I’m not sure why the the odds are so lopsided because I think Harrison has the tools to beat Charlo in a decision if he fights with a good game plan and sticks to it. The problem with Harrison is that you can’t count on him for a full fight. Remember that he faded late in his two career losses and against Jermell who has shown that he can push the pace for 12 hard rounds, Harrison might not go the distance. Make no mistake Harrison has power in hi hands as evidenced by 21 KOs in 27 wins. But if he chooses to test his power with Jermell’s, he could be headed for disaster. Charlo doesn’t only have power, he is also durable. We’re picking Jermell Charlo to win here but at -1241, he comes in too pricey.
The over/under is saying 9.5 rounds and I think that this is going to be a late stoppage or decision win for Charlo. When you take a look at Harrison’s record, both his stoppage defeats came in Round 9 and past the 9.5 mark. Jermell has punching power but he’s the less powerful Charlo twin. I don’t see an early stoppage as Harrison is a good starter. I think this goes to the late rounds. Prediction: Take the plus money and bet on the Over 9.5 rounds
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