Lone Star in Texas

By James Blears

Jermall, the slightly older and marginally heavier Charlo Twin, defends his WBC middleweight Green and Gold Belt in his home town of Houston on June 19^th on Juneteenth Day at the Toyota Center, against Juan “Juanito” Macias Montiel of Los Mochis, Mexico, in a battle of the big hitters, with the World Boxing Council Green and Gold belt plus the Freedom strap at stake.

Jermall who`s undefeated, has won by KO in twenty two of his thirty one fights. He`s earned the illustrious nickname of “Hitman.”  Lithe, powerful, intelligent, patient yet frettingly ambitious, he boxes well and can hit like an express train. He would relish a fight against Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in the heavier division of super middle, for a more than lucrative payday, which would financially secure his future. But first, there`s current business to take care of against an opponent, who carries real power in both hands, and as such, constitutes real plus latent potential danger.

Hardly a household name which trips off the tongue, Juan is a nephew of the great Fernando “Kochul” Montiel. He turned pro in 2007.  Trained by his grandpa Manuel “Cochul” Montiel and his uncle Eduardo, he`s happy, willing and ready to scamper into the lion`s den back yard of the champion, saying he`s mighty grateful for the opportunity and will give it his absolute all. Jermall`s trainer is the legendary Ronnie Shields who insists that Jermell has: “Worked his butt off for this defense, and certainly isn`t either overlooking, or looking past Juan.”

Defeated four times, via two split decisions one majority decision and via a second round KO by the formidable Jaime Mungia, ALL of Juan`s twenty two victories have come via KO.  He too is a slugger with genuine power.

He likes to switch to southpaw, is an all attack fighter who often holds his hands low and hardly ever takes a backward step.  Against Jermall, he`s do well to tighten his guard and his defense, because he`s surely going to walk into a firestorm at some point in this clash.

During their recent press conference in Houston, sitting on their stools a couple of yards apart, both were gruffly respectful of each other, but the Champion pointedly declared that he`s living his dream, and nothing whatever will deflect, detract or derail him.

The Twins exude an intensity, which is sometimes mistaken for one dimensional arrogance. But it`s got much more to do with self belief, complete focus, iron willpower and a single minded determination to make something of themselves, in a professional, which tends to be unforgivingly brief.  They conserve and reserve the right to break into handsome grins, after business is successfully concluded. Only then… is it time to relax.

By the way Jermall`s sternest critic is Jermell…and vice versa.  Born just a minute apart, the question with all identical twins is whether they are half of one, or two versions of themselves?

Both Jermall and Juan have fought Hugo “The Boss” Centeno Jr.  Juan hurt Hugo with left hooks, but had to be content with a draw over ten rounds. Jermall blitzed Hugo in two devastating rounds, erupting in the second with uppercuts and hooks, to underline his formidable with crushing two fisted power. It was waved off at fifty five seconds.

Jermall had a stellar amateur career. He was in the running for the 2008 US Olympic Team but suffered a toe injury. Nevertheless he won sixty five fights with only six losses, before turning pro in that same year.

Jermall vacated the IBF super welterweight belt, to move up a division to middle to take on and dispatch Centeno for the WBC middleweight belt.  Prior to that he`d been tested, but won against Austin Trout and defeated Argentine Sebastian Heiland, who  had been mandatory challenger for two years.  Jermall stopped him in four. Heiland suffered a leg injury in the first, which worsened but he was being also being battered. Jermall dropped him hard in the second with a left hook to the head, and never let up on the pressure.

Jermall`s most exacting and exciting test to date, was against the tough as nails Sergiy Derevyanchenko who refused to buckle or fold under fire, in spite of constantly being under the cosh, from Jermall. Often bludgeoned, he fought back hard, mostly on the receiving end, all the way to the final bell, losing a UD.

Another rugged Russian who went the distance with Jermall, was Matt Korobov, who normally fights as a light heavyweight. On the same bill, he was a late replacement, when original opponent Willie Monroe failed a pre-fight drug test.

Juan, who was pouting in a pensive way, throughout most the press conference in Houston with Jermall, knows that he has a puncher`s chance and it`d be better to try and spring his surprise early in the fight, because the longer it goes and the more Jermall gets into the groove, the less chance there remains of producing a seismic shock. The time factor dissipation!

Physically Juan has the slight advantage. He`s six feet one inches tall with a seventy four inch reach. While Jermall is six feet tall with a seventy three and a half inch reach. If experience and quality of opponents are taken into consideration there`s a yawning gulf of difference.

Logic, odds and most of the factors blow by blow, are assuredly with Jermall. But Juan is a big puncher and as the boxing saying goes: “It only takes one Juan.”

WORLD BOXING COUNCIL                       

Jose SulaimánWBC HONORARY POSTHUMOUS LIFETIME PRESIDENT (+) 

Mauricio Sulaimán WBC PRESIDENT 

WBC STATS

WBC MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE CHAMPIONSHIP

TOYOTA CENTERHOUSTON, TEXAS, UNITED STATES 

JUNE 19, 2021

TV: PANAMA RPC CHANNEL 4 / USA SHOWTIME    

THIS WILL BE THE WBC’S 2, 110 CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE   FIGHT   IN   THE   FIFTY-EIGHT YEAR HISTORY OF THE WBC

TOM BROWN & TGB PROMOTIONS, PRESENTS:

JERMALL CHARLO                                                 JUAN MACIAS MONTIEL

(USA)                                                                                                                  (MEXICO)

WBC CHAMPION                                                        CHALLENGER/WBC no. 4

Nationality:       USA                                                     Nationality:          Mexico

Date of Birth:    May 19, 1990                                         Date of Birth:       April 15, 1994

Birthplace:        Richmond, Texas                                   Birthplace:           Los Mochis, Sinaloa

Residence:         Houston, Texas                                      Residence:            Los Mochis, Sinaloa

Alias:                Hit Man                                                Alias:                   Juanito

Record:             31-0-0, 22 ko’s                                       Record:                22-4-2, 22 ko’s

KO’S %:           71%                                                     KO’S %:              79%

Age:                 31                                                         Age:                    27

Guard:             Orthodox                                              Guard:                Orthodox

Total rounds:    159                                                       Total rounds:       94

World title fights: 8 (8-0-0)                                              World title fights: 0 (0-0-0)

Trainer:            Ronnie Shields                                       Trainer:               Eduardo & Pedro Montiel

Advisor:            Al Haymon                                            Manager:             Manuel Montiel

Promoter:         Premier Boxing Champion                      Promoter:            Sampson Boxing

WBC´S MIDDLEWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONS

NAME                              PERIOD

1. DICK TIGER (NIGERIA) 1963
2. JOEY GIARDELLO (US) 1963 – 1965
3. DICK TIGER (NIGERIA) * 1965 – 1966
4. EMILE GRIFFITH (VIRG. ISLAND) 1966 – 1967
5. NINO BENVENUTI (ITALY) 1967
6. EMILE GRIFFITH (VIRG. ISLANDS) * 1967 – 1968
7. NINO BENVENUTI (ITALY) * 1968 – 1970
8. CARLOS MONZON (ARGENTINA) 1970 – 1974
9. RODRIGO VALDEZ (COLOMBIA) 1974 – 1976
10. CARLOS MONZON (ARGENTINA) * 1976 – 1977
11. RODRIGO VALDEZ (COLOMBIA) * 1977 – 1978
12. HUGO CORRO (ARGENTINA) 1978 – 1979
13. VITO ANTUOFERMO (ITALY) 1979 – 1980
14. ALAN MINTER (GB) 1980
15. MARVIN HAGLER (US) 1980 – 1987
16. RAY LEONARD (US) 1987
17. THOMAS HEARNS (US) 1987 – 1988
18. IRAN BARKLEY (US) 1988 – 1989
19. ROBERTO DURAN (PANAMA) 1989
20. JULIAN JACKSON (VIRG. ISLAND) 1990 – 1993
21. GERALD MCCLELLAN (US) 1993 – 1995
22. JULIAN JACKSON (VIRG. ISLANDS) * 1995
23. QUINCY TAYLOR (US) 1995 – 1996
24. KEITH HOLMES (US) 1996 – 1998
25. HASSINE CHERIFI (FRANCE) 1998 – 1999
26. KEITH HOLMES (US) * 1999 – 2001
27. BERNARD HOPKINS (US) 2001 – 2005
28. JERMAIN TAYLOR (US) 2005 -2007
29. KELLY PAVLIK (US) 2007 – 2010
30. SEBASTIAN ZBIK (GERMANY) INTERIM 2009 – 2011
31. SERGIO MARTINEZ (ARGENTINA) 2010
32. JULIO C. CHAVEZ JR. (MEXICO)         2011 –      2012
33. SERGIO MARTINEZ (ARGENTINA) * 2012 – 2014
34. MARCO A. RUBIO (MEXICO) INTERIM     2014
35. GENNADY GOLOVKIN (KAZAKHSTAN) INTERIM 2014 – 2016
36. MIGUEL COTTO (P. RICO) 2014 – 2015
37. SAUL ALVAREZ (MEXICO) 2015 – 2016
38. GENNADY GOLOVKIN (KAZAKHSTAN) * 2016 – 2018
39. SAUL ALVAREZ (MEXICO) * Franchise 2018 – 2021
40. JERMALL CHARLO (US) 2018 –

* REGAINED

WBC´S MIDDLEWEIGHT TOP TEN CHAMPIONS

1. RAY LEONARD (US)
2. BERNARD HOPKINS (US)
3. CARLOS MONZON (ARGENTINA)
4. MARVIN HAGLER (US)
5. NINO BENVENUTI (ITALY)
6. GENNADY GOLOVKIN (KAZAKHSTAN)
7. EMILE GRIFFITH (VIRGIN ISLANDS)
8. GERALD MCCLELAN (US)
9. SERGIO MARTINEZ (ARGENTINA)
10. RODRIGO VALDEZ (COLOMBIA)

GENERAL INFORMATION ON THE MIDDLEWEIGHT DIVISION IN THE HISTORY OF THE WBC

31 WORLD CHAMPIONS RECOGNIZED BY THE WBC OF WHICH 7 HAVE REGAINED THEIR TITLE:

DICK TIGER (NIGERIA)                         TWICE

EMILE GRIFFITH (VIRG. IS.)                 TWICE

NINO BENVENUTI (ITALY)                   TWICE

CARLOS MONZON (ARGENTINA)         TWICE

RODRIGO VALDEZ (COLOMBIA)          TWICE

JULIAN JACKSON (VIRG. IS.)                TWICE

KEITH HOLMES (US)                            TWICE

SERGIO GABRIEL MARTINEZ (ARG)     TWICE

SAUL ALVAREZ (MEXICO)                   TWICE

 124 WORLD TITLE BOUTS HAVE BEEN HELD IN THE HISTORY OF THE WBC

82 TITLE FIGHTS OF WHICH HAVE TAKEN PLACE IN UNITED STATES IN THE WBC HISTORY

WORLD MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE BOUTS BY COUNTRY IN WBC HISTORY 

USA                                   82

ITALY                              8

MONACO                         7

FRANCE                           6

GERMANY                       4

ARGENTINA                    4

ENGLAND                        4

MEXICO                          2

COLOMBIA                     2

YUGOSLAVIA                 1

SPAIN                               1

PUERTO RICO                1

NIGERIA                          1

DENMARK                       1

                       TOTAL                124  

WBC TITLE FIGHTS IN TEXAS STATE IN THE WBC HISTORY

72 WORLD TITLE FIGHTS HAVE BEEN HELD IN TEXAS STATE IN THE WBC HISTORY

5 TITLE FIGHTS IN THE MIDDLEWEIGHT DIVISION HAVE TAKEN PLACE IN TEXAS STATE IN THE HISTORY OF THE WBC AND THIS WILL BE THE 73 WBC TITLE FIGHTS IN TEXAS STATE IN THE HISTORY OF THE WBC

FIGHTS BY DIVISION IN TEXAS STATE IN THE WBC HISTORY

 FEATHER                                   13

LIGHT                                         9

SUPERWELTER                         8

WELTER                                     8

SUPERFEATHER                       6

MIDDLE                                     5

SUPERLIGHT                             5

SUPERBANTAM                         5

HEAVY                                        4

SUPERMIDDLE                         3

SUPERFLY                                 3

FLY                                             2

BANTAM                                    1

TOTAL         72