Jermall Charlo is back in the super middleweight conversation, and he isn’t talking like somebody interested in quietly rebuilding his career. The former two-division champion says the top fighters at 168 pounds know who he is, know what he possesses, and should understand that he’s coming to take over the division.

Naturally, whenever a recognizable fighter starts talking about the top of super middleweight, Canelo Alvarez’s name isn’t far behind.

Canelo is preparing to challenge WBC champion Christian Mbilli on October 31 in Riyadh, where he’ll try to reclaim one of the championships he lost when Terence Crawford defeated him for the undisputed crown last year. Charlo, meanwhile, returns October 17 against Koen Mazoudier in Las Vegas, meaning both men are attempting to reposition themselves in the same division within two weeks of each other.

That creates an obvious storyline if they both win.

Canelo versus Charlo.

The names sell themselves.

But before boxing starts rushing toward another Charlo-Canelo event, there’s a question worth asking: What has Jermall Charlo actually done at 168 pounds to deserve Canelo right now?

His reputation makes the fight marketable.

His current résumé at super middleweight doesn’t make it necessary.

Jermall Charlo Used to Be One of Boxing’s Most Frustrating “What Ifs”

It’s easy to forget how highly regarded Jermall Charlo once was.

He became a world champion at junior middleweight, moved to middleweight and eventually became WBC champion there as well. At his best, Charlo possessed size, athleticism, a strong jab and legitimate power. For years, he was regularly mentioned alongside Canelo, Golovkin and the other significant names around middleweight and super middleweight.

The problem wasn’t talent.

It was activity.

Charlo went from June 2021 until November 2023 without fighting. After returning to defeat Jose Benavidez Jr., he disappeared for another long stretch before finally returning in May 2025 and stopping Thomas LaManna. His upcoming fight with Mazoudier will therefore be only his third appearance since 2021.

That matters when we’re discussing somebody taking over a division.

You can’t dominate a weight class through reputation.

Eventually you have to fight the people occupying it.

Beat Mazoudier — Then Give Us Somebody at the Top

There’s nothing wrong with Charlo fighting Mazoudier as part of his comeback.

After the amount of inactivity Charlo has experienced, expecting him to immediately jump into the deepest possible fight would be unreasonable. He needs rounds, consistency and another opportunity to demonstrate that his body can handle a normal boxing schedule again.

But if he beats Mazoudier, the standard should change.

Charlo says he wants the top fighters. Good. Super middleweight has them.

Christian Mbilli is currently the WBC champion and is about to face Canelo. Osleys Iglesias holds the IBF title. The WBO championship picture is changing after Hamzah Sheeraz elected to vacate rather than face Janibek Alimkhanuly. Lester Martinez and Diego Pacheco are also operating around the upper levels of the division.

There are enough meaningful opponents available that Charlo shouldn’t need to spend 2027 fighting around the championship level while waiting for Canelo’s phone call.

If you’re coming to take over 168, start taking something.

Canelo Is in a Different Position Now Too

There’s another reason Charlo shouldn’t automatically receive the Canelo fight.

Canelo isn’t currently the undisputed champion everybody is chasing.

He’s the challenger.

After losing the undisputed championship to Crawford, Canelo spent time away from the ring because of an elbow injury and is now trying to rebuild his own position against Mbilli. At 36 years old, with 68 professional fights behind him, Canelo is entering a stage of his career where every performance is going to generate questions about how much of the old Canelo remains.

That makes October 31 especially important.

Mbilli is younger, undefeated and known for applying pressure and throwing in volume. Canelo has dismissed some of the technical quality surrounding Mbilli’s style, but even he acknowledges the champion’s physical strength.

If Canelo beats Mbilli convincingly, he immediately reestablishes himself near the center of the division.

If he struggles badly or loses, the entire conversation surrounding Canelo-Charlo changes.

That’s why talking about future opponents before either man completes his October assignment is premature.

There are two fights that have to happen first.

The Charlo Name Makes This More Complicated

There’s also an unavoidable piece of history here.

Canelo has already fought a Charlo.

It just wasn’t Jermall.

Jermell Charlo moved up from junior middleweight to challenge Canelo for the undisputed super middleweight championship in September 2023. Canelo dropped him and won a wide unanimous decision.

Jermall presents a different matchup. He’s naturally bigger than his twin brother and spent years competing at middleweight before moving to 168, so nobody should treat the brothers as interchangeable fighters.

Still, the family connection gives promoters an easy storyline.

Jermall can attempt to do what Jermell couldn’t.

Canelo can fight another recognizable Charlo.

Everybody gets a marketable narrative.

But marketability shouldn’t be the only requirement.

We’ve already reached a point in boxing where recognizable names can sometimes jump directly into enormous opportunities while active contenders spend years working through rankings and eliminators.

If Charlo wants Canelo, one significant victory at 168 would make the argument much stronger.

Canelo Has Spent Years Being Everyone’s Shortcut

This is something that happens whenever one fighter becomes boxing’s biggest financial attraction.

Everybody wants him.

Not necessarily because he’s the champion. Not necessarily because he’s the mandatory. Sometimes not even because the matchup makes the most competitive sense.

They want him because fighting Canelo changes your bank account.

For years, David Benavidez wanted him. Hamzah Sheeraz has discussed fighting him. Janibek has talked about eventually unifying with him if he wins a title at 168. Other contenders routinely attach Canelo’s name to their future plans because everybody understands what the opportunity represents financially.

That’s perfectly understandable from the fighter’s perspective.

But if every contender tries to bypass everybody else and wait for Canelo, the division stops moving.

Canelo himself previously suggested that the other champions should fight one another and establish who deserves the opportunity rather than simply waiting for him.

There is some logic in that.

Especially now that Canelo doesn’t own all four belts.

Charlo Could Actually Make This Fight Much Bigger by Waiting

The funny thing is that making Charlo earn the Canelo fight could make the eventual matchup more valuable.

Imagine Charlo beats Mazoudier convincingly and then defeats a legitimate top-five super middleweight.

Now we’re not selling Canelo against a famous former champion returning from inactivity.

We’re selling Canelo against a legitimate current threat.

There’s a significant difference.

Charlo’s name already provides the commercial foundation. What he needs now is competitive momentum.

A meaningful victory would give people a reason to believe Canelo-Charlo isn’t simply another event built around nostalgia and name recognition.

It becomes a fight.

That’s ultimately what Charlo should want anyway if he’s serious about his statement that he’s taking over the division.

Taking over doesn’t mean getting the biggest payday available.

It means beating the people standing where you want to stand.

REAL TALK

This is where reputation can become both an advantage and a trap.

Jermall Charlo built enough credibility earlier in his career that people still recognize his name years later. That has value. Most fighters would love to have enough accomplishments stored away that they could disappear for long stretches and still return directly to conversations involving Canelo Alvarez.

But old credibility shouldn’t permanently replace current accomplishment.

Charlo doesn’t need to apologize for the years he lost. He has spoken publicly about personal struggles that contributed to his inactivity, and simply returning to boxing consistently is meaningful in its own right. The next stage, however, has to be about what he does now.

If the fighter who once looked capable of becoming one of the dominant middleweights of his generation is still there, 168 pounds gives him plenty of opportunities to prove it.

He doesn’t need Canelo to validate the comeback.

In some ways, beating somebody dangerous before Canelo would validate it more.

That’s why I’d rather see Charlo build toward that fight instead of receiving it because his surname and résumé from several years ago make the event easy to sell. Give us the current version of Jermall Charlo against somebody who can push him. Let him establish that he’s still capable of operating at championship level.

Then, if Canelo beats Mbilli and Charlo keeps winning, the fight begins selling something much more interesting than two famous names.

It sells relevance.

And if Charlo really intends to take over super middleweight, relevance is something he should be willing to earn inside the ring.

LET’S TALK ABOUT IT

If Jermall Charlo beats Koen Mazoudier, should Canelo be next—or should Charlo have to defeat one legitimate top super middleweight before receiving that opportunity?

And if Charlo really wants to prove he’s coming to take over 168, which current super middleweight would you put him against to find out whether the old Jermall Charlo is actually back?