Charlo: 'If Floyd wants to hold title, then come fight me'
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Unbeaten Jermell Charlo wants an opportunity to win a junior middleweight title. Patrick Smith/Getty Images
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Jermell Charlo’s motivation is simple: He’s just looking for an opportunity to compete for a world title.
It’s an endeavor that has eluded the unbeaten junior middleweight since making the leap from prospect to contender over the past two years.
Charlo (26-0, 11 KOs) believed he was there in December 2014, before then-titlist Demetrius Andrade pulled out of their bout -- despite a career-high payday -- in the 11th hour. Since then, it has been a political nightmare.
Jermell Charlo-Joachim Alcine
Where: Houston, Texas
When: Saturday, 9 p.m. ET
TV: NBC Sports Net
A native of Houston, Charlo returns to his hometown Saturday in a 10-round bout against veteran Joachim Alcine (35-7-2, 21 KOs) in the main event of a Premier Boxing Champions card (NBC Sports Net, 11 p.m. ET) at NRG Arena.
Charlo, 25, pulls no punches by saying the Alcine fight “was made to stay busy.” Despite scoring his biggest victory to date in March when he outpointed former title challenger Vanes Martirosyan, Charlo has very few inroads to a title shot based upon the way things stand for him both personally and politically.
His twin brother, Jermall Charlo, holds the IBF title after stopping Cornelius Bundrage in September. Their stablemate and sparring partner, Erislandy Lara, holds the secondary version of the WBA strap.
Outside of England’s Liam Smith, who won the vacant WBO belt from John Thompson two weeks ago, the remaining two belts at 154 pounds are currently in the hands of former pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather.
Not only has it been two years since Mayweather last competed at junior middleweight, he retired following his victory over Andre Berto in September yet still hasn’t been stripped by the WBA and WBC.
For Charlo, that’s a problem.
“If Floyd Mayweather wants to continue holding that title, I’m a young gun and am coming to try and take it,” Charlo told ESPN.com. “If Floyd wants to hold it, then come fight me. I’m ranked No. 1 at 154 [by the WBC] so we can make a weight adjustment.
“He has yet to fight a young, black undefeated fighter and a hungry one at the same time. I felt Berto was young and black, but not hungry and obviously not within my caliber as a top contender.”
Like many in the sport, Charlo believes Mayweather will soon return to the ring and refers to his retirement as simply “a long vacation.” He also believes the sanctioning bodies will continue to bend their own rules in Mayweather’s favor.
“He’s doing it because he’s in and out of his mind saying that he wants to leave this game alone or he wants to stay and continue to make these $30 million [purses],” Charlo said. “But the problem is that he’s going to continue to run into young studs and I’m one of them.”
Charlo also intends to drop himself from the IBF rankings in order to not disrupt his brother’s reign. It’s a move he considers fair and the opposite of what Mayweather is currently doing.
“Floyd is controlling that division and we are not like Floyd,” Charlo said. “We are not just trying to hold spots.”
Charlo, who owns a wide decision win over Gabriel Rosado in 2014, isn’t deterred by being forced to wait. If anything, it’s par for the course throughout an eight-year pro career where nothing has come easy.
“I never had a walk in the park in my career,” Charlo said. “Nothing has been easy for me and I’ve been a dog trying to get it. I’m searching for my bones. I want to be a superstar in the junior middleweight division.”
Charlo believes his victory over Martirosyan showcased his movement, power and ability to dictate a fight. He was also pleased Martirosyan went back on his word about getting a tattoo of the Charlo brothers’ motto, Lions Only, if Charlo was victorious.
“[Martirosyan] was barking about that but I wouldn’t even want him to put my Lions Only tatted on him,” Charlo said. “He did have a lion on him and he thought he had a lion on the inside until he ran into a real lion and that’s what happened.”
For Charlo and his twin brother, Lions Only has grown to become more than just a catchy hashtag on social media.
“It’s a lifestyle. It’s our own brand and we’ve already trademarked it,” Charlo said. “We live and die by Lions Only because not too many people can go through the struggle of life the way my brother and I have and still be on top and make it as far as we are making it right now.”
While Charlo waits patiently for his shot, his focus Saturday will be squarely on Alcine, 39, who is 2-0-1 since snapping a five-fight losing skid in 2014.
“I can’t continue to focus on why I haven’t had yet won a world title, I need to focus on being a better fighter,” Charlo said. “I feel [Alcine] is going to try to dictate and take advantage that I’m young. But he fails to realize that I’m all that, as well.
“He’s going to come trying to bully me and be rough but I’m going to make it rough for him. I’m going to win this fight by knockout.”
Charlo: 'If Floyd wants to hold title, then come fight me'
Why does everyone wanna keep calling out a retired fighter
when Biscuits was backtracking like a ho at the mere mention of Danny Garcia's name. The "Winds of Standom" blows both ways, homie.
why you acting like the podcast ducking you. We been told you when we were coming on I even posted that we needed people to break down ggg last fight a couple of weeks ago. Just cause you went MIA doesn't mean we didn't want you on. 
