Jermell Charlo stops Tony Harrison in round 11 to regain WBC title

Tony Harrison won the WBC super welterweight title from Jermell Charlo in 2018, but it was a different ending in 2019 as Charlo regained his belt.

In December of 2018, Tony Harrison pulled the upset against Jermell Charlo to win the WBC super welterweight title. Almost a year to the day on Saturday, Dec. 21, Charlo was the one wearing the belt once again.

Harrison and Charlo collided in an ultra-competitive championship fight on PBC on FOX.  Harrison and Charlo picked up from where they left off one year prior, but this time, knockdowns played a significant role in the outcome.

In round 1, Charlo came out firing an erratic left hook. Harrison stayed calm and pumped his jab. His hands looked fast as he picked apart Charlo with his methodical jab. Charlo tried to explode with a combination here and there, but his attacks were telegraphed. Charlo looked over-eager to regain his title, but his tenacity paid dividends in round 2.

Charlo initially struggled to get inside of Harrison’s reach in round 2. He looked frustrated and threw wild punches. Harrison was content playing defense and countered Charlo’s best shots.

Just when it looked like Harrison was cruising to a two-round lead, Charlo caught Harrison with a left hook that dropped Harrison. He got up and made it through the round, but it momentarily changed the fight’s momentum.

Round 3 set the tone for the majority of the contest. Charlo came out aggressively in round 3. Charlo’s punches were wide and crazed. He wanted to get Harrison out of there, but Harrison easily avoided them. Harrison came back with a potent combination midway through the round. Charlo was pinned on the ropes in the last 15 seconds in what was a big comeback round for Harrison.

From rounds 4 through 10, the action oscillated back and forth between Harrison and Charlo. Most rounds began with Charlo throwing combinations and finished with Harrison pushing Charlo back and working Charlo’s body. The CompuBox statistics were close, and it looked like it could be either man’s fight.

Round 11 changed everything.

Charlo began the round with a lead left hook that made Harrison walk back. Not much later, Charlo found Harrison’s chin with another left hook that landed cleanly and sent Harrison reeling to the canvas. Charlo jumped on him and put him down again with three left uppercuts followed by a right cross. Harrison got up, and Charlo closed again. Charlo punished Harrison along the ropes, but referee Jack Reiss saw enough and stopped the fight.

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Harrison never defended the title that’s now back around Charlo’s waist. Charlo’s twin brother and WBC middleweight champion quickly entered the ring to congratulate his brother on regaining the title he lost almost one year ago. The Charlo twins are dual champions once again.

During an interview in the ring after the fight, Charlo said, “I got the belt back. It took me a while, but tonight, I didn’t leave it up to the judges.”

When asked if the animosity with Harrison was over, Charlo responded, “At the end of the day, I don’t like the dude. Period.”

Time will tell if fans get to see Charlo vs. Harrison 3 in 2020, but after the first two bouts, a third showdown would be sure to gain an audience in what has become a venomous rivalry. For now, Charlo can celebrate with the title he missed for the last year.