Everyone respects Charlo?s accomplishments. The catcalls had nothing to do with how he fought or won. It was his lack of class that provoked the reaction?
On a Saturday stacked with significant bouts, the best fight of the night was at the USC Galen Center in Los Angeles, California, between IBF junior middleweight champion Jermall Charlo (25-0, 19 KOs), the older of two hard-hitting identical twins from Houston, Texas, and undefeated Julian ?J Rock? Williams (22-1-1, 14 KOs), from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Fighting out of the blue corner in maroon trunks trimmed in white, Charlo was defending the title he won from Cornelius Bundrage in September 2015 a third time.
Williams, fighting out of the red corner in camouflage trunks, had not lost a round in 10 fights and was as skilled, at least on paper, as the reigning and defending champion.
Round one was close and could have gone either way. Charlo was firing off sharp counters, but Williams landed some shots of his own and often made Charlo miss. I gave the round to ?J Rock? by a hair.
Williams was doing nice inside work in round two. Charlo counterpunched effectively. Williams landed a left. Charlo connected with a power jab that dropped Williams to the canvas. He jumped up immediately with a smile on his face and did not take the count. It was the first time he was down in his career. The chess match resumed. ?J Rock? landed a counter left hook followed by a right. He had closed the gap, preventing a 10-8 score in favor Charlo.
Charlo won round three. Both fighters were feinting. Both fighters were throwing and landing combinations. It?s rare to see two fighters as skilled as Charlo and Williams together in the ring, as mismatches are served to the public as if fight fans knew no better.
Between rounds three and four Charlo?s trainer Ronnie Shields told him, ?I want you to pick it up a little. We can?t wait on you now. You have to throw punches.?
Williams continued to make Charlo miss when he wasn?t connecting in round four. Williams landed a jab. Charlo countered with an uppercut to the body. ?J Rock? landed two lead rights and won the round.
?Back him up,? Shields instructed Charlo after the fourth. ?I want you to back him up with the jab. Back him up.?
Charlo dropped Williams again, this time face first to the canvas, with a brutal right uppercut midway through round five. Williams beat the count, but he was hurt. Williams ate a right. Then a left hook floored him a third time. Referee Wayne Hedgpeth stepped in a waved it off at 2:06.
It was a terrific fight by two terrific fighters and a fabulous win for Charlo.
After he returned to his senses, Williams approached Charlo to offer his congratulations. Charlo, maybe due to the heat of battle, maybe in defiance of boxing tradition, refused to shake his hand, one of the tenets of good sportsmanship, and the fans in the arena erupted in boos.
Williams slunk away from Charlo?s corner and stormed out of the ring.
In his post-fight interview with Jim Gray, Charlo defended himself, with none of the finesse he displayed during the fight, as the boo birds tried to drown out his lame excuse.
?No matter what, people have to respect my accomplishments,? Charlo said. ?He just wasn?t on my level. I told everyone what I was going to do since the fight was announced. I knew I was going to win; he was badly hurt after the knockdown.?
Everyone respects Charlo?s accomplishments. The catcalls had nothing to do with how he fought or won. It was his lack of class that provoked the reaction.
?He disrespected me all the way up to the fight,? said Charlo?s about Williams? pre-fight comments. ?I made the fight happen. I gave the fans what they wanted to see. I stayed at 154 pounds, although I do want to move up to 160, just to fight someone the world said I couldn?t beat.
?I said I don?t want your congratulations; I want your apology. I don?t care what they say, I knocked him out. No matter what they say about me I?m going to continue to work hard. I did what my trainer told me to do, I stayed in there and bang the shot came home. I?m never disrespected this dude, never, until I knocked him out.?
That makes it okay, I guess, but the stench of his boorishness remains.
