Don’t be surprised if the Charlo twins deliver twin knockouts

The boxing Charlo twins, Jermall and Jermell, share major title bouts on their Sept. 26 pay-per-view doubleheader. 

Twin brother champion boxers Jermall Charlo and Jermell Charlo headline a stacked Showtime pay-per-view card on Saturday, Sept. 26. Both fight in title bouts against dangerous opponents.

The -pay-per-view event is broken into two halves separated by a 30-minute intermission. Jermall Charlo vs. Sergiy Derevyanchenko is the main event of the first half, which begins at 7 p.m. ET. Jermall’s WBC middleweight title is on the line. Derevyanchenko lost both of his previous title shots by close decisions to Daniel Jacobs and Gennadiy Golovkin.

Jermell Charlo vs. Jeison Rosario is the focus of the second half of fight night. Jemell brings his WBC junior middleweight to the party while Rosario holds the IBF and WBA belts. The winner takes them all.

The Charlo twin’s doubleheader is the most significant pay-per-view boxing event during the pandemic. Both Charlo’s are favored to win according to most major betting brokerages, according to the Sportsbook Review.

The odds are in the Charlo twin’s favor, but will they win their bouts? FanSided takes a deep dive into their respective contests to give you a more precise answer.

Jermall Charlo vs. Sergiy Derevyanchenko prediction

On paper, Derevyanchenko is the stiffest test of Charlo’s career. Charlo (30-0, 22 KOs) is undefeated, and Derevyanchenko (13-2, 10 KOs) has two losses, but records can be deceiving.

Charlo’s best wins came against Matvey Korobov, Julian Williams, Austin Trout, and Cornelius Bundrage. Except for Korobov, those wins came as a junior middleweight. Charlo has never fought a boxer with Derevyanchenko’s depth.

Outside of Tureano Johnson, Derevyanchenko hasn’t beaten a big-name opponent. His most impressive performances were his decision losses to Jacobs and Golovkin. He earned a split decision against Jacobs but shined against Golovkin. He got off the canvas in the first round of both to storm back and nearly pulled off the win each time.

Korobov made things slightly interesting against Charlo until the last rounds, where Korobov was rocked and almost stopped, but Charlo hasn’t been pushed to the limit like Derevyanchenko. That might be due to his skill.

Derevyanchenko’s strengths are his heart, toughness, and work rate. According to CompuBox stats, Derevyanchenko threw 738 total punches against Golovkin and 658 against Jacobs. He lets his hands go and vowed to pressure Charlo during their final press conference.

“I’m going to put pressure on him from the beginning,” said Derevyanchko during the press conference. “I’m going to use my legs, my jab, and combinations to get the win.”

He applied pressure to Jacobs and Golokin, and it served him well. He’s a strong body puncher and knows when to mix punches to the head. He’s also accurate. Derevyanchenko connected with 31.2 percent of his shots against Golovkin. His aggressiveness can also be a weakness.

Golovkin hit Derevyanchenko with 33.8 percent of his total punches. Derevyanchenko took a lot of punishment against Golovkin and Jacobs. He might not be the same boxer who entered the ring on those nights due to the abuse he absorbed.

Charlo is fresh. At 6-feet-tall, Charlo has a 3-inch height advantage over Derevyanchenko. Charlo isn’t as active as Derevyancheno, but he’s more selective with his attacks. He’s the more patient fighter, which allows him to conserve energy and endure less wear and tear.

Charlo has his flaws. He can be too patient and allow bouts to go longer than they should. He also has a bad habit of standing in a wide stance, making him unable to avoid incoming blows.

Comparing the two, Charlo has all the advantages. He’s a better athlete, harder puncher, and more skilled boxer than Derevyanchenko. Derevyanchenko can try to pressure Charlo, but that will be his downfall.

Look for Charlo to knock out Derevyanchenko in the 10th round. Derevyanchenko likes to rest on his opponent while infighting. That’s the perfect setup for a Charlo right uppercut.

Jermall Charlo vs. Jeison Rosario prediction

Rosario (20-1-1, 14 KOs) has been on fire during his last six fights. He produced knockouts in three of those contests, including his previous victory over Julian Williams to win the IBF and WBA junior middleweight titles.

Rosario attributed his previous performance to focus on his craft. He claims to be even more focused this time against Charlo.

“Training camp was great despite the pandemic,” said Rosario during the final press conference. “I feel strong, healthy, and confident. Jermell is a great fighter with a lot of power, but I’m the better overall fighter, and the world will see that on Saturday.”

Rosario has better power than his KO rating of 63.4 percent indicates. It should be around 80 percent, but several imperfections are holding him back.

Rosario, like Charlo, has a powerful left hook and right cross. He’s developing as a boxer, but he’s not as refined as Charlo. Rosario can bounce on the balls of his feet but doesn’t do it enough.

He has a habit of walking flat-footed forward and backward. Rosario crosses his feet and puts himself in a bad position. He can’t throw punches while crossing his feet, and he can avoid them when his feet are cemented into the ground.

Rosario likes to trade, but he doesn’t have the defensive skills to dodge Charlo’s punches.

Charlo’s (33-1, 17 KOs) biggest issue is a lack of activity. He spends too much time looking for an opening and not enough letting his hands go to set up a potent shot. His accuracy is also questionable at times.

Rosario is a bit of an anomaly. He was stopped by Nathaniel Gallimore in 2017 and fought to a draw against Mark Anthony Hernandez in 2018. He knocked out Hernandez in round 9 in 2019. He’s active but intelligent about when to engage. Rosario has good hand speed but lacks defensive awareness.

He has never competed against someone on Charlo’s level. Rosario can hold his own for a while, but his defensive liabilities will catch up to him. Charlo can stop opponents early as he did against Erickson Lubin in 2017 or hit the home run shot late like the Harrison rematch. Charlo has a lot riding on this fight, so look for his top game. Watch for Charlo to be aggressive and take Rosario out in round 6.

The Charlo twins are on a pay-per-view stage, and they seem amped up. Jermell lost once when he had high expectations. Don’t look for him to make the same mistake twice. Jermall also likely learned a lesson from his brother’s defeat. They claim to be “Lions Only,” so expect them to be kings on Saturday night.