Jermall Charlo declares that he’s the best middleweight in the world

Jermall Charlo exhibited his skills in a unanimous decision victory after defeating Sergiy Derevyachenko. Hear why he believes he’s the best middleweight. 

Jermall Charlo backed up his talk with a complete performance with his victory over Sergiy Derevyachenko on Saturday, Sept. 26. Did he prove that he’s the best middleweight in the world?

FanSided caught Charlo after his big win and asked him that very question.

“Yes, I’m the best middleweight in the world, the WBC middleweight in the world,” Charlo told FanSided during the post-fight media conference. “They may have to make two franchises is they really want to see the best.”

Charlo (31-0, 22 KOs) controlled the action against Derevyachenko over 12 rounds to earn a unanimous decision victory. Dervyachenko (13-2, 10 KOs) fought well in tight decision losses against Daniel Jacobs and Gennadiy Golovkin, but there was no controversy against Charlo. Charlo was the better man.

Charlo left Dervyachenko’s face a bloody mess and hurt him several times throughout the fight.

“Yeah. Every round I hurt him, it was like I got him right at the end [of the round],” said Charlo. “I finally got close enough right at the end, and he was hurt and shook up and saved by the bell, but sometimes that happens.”

If you compare Charlo’s defeat over Derevyachenko’s to Jacobs’ or Golovkin’s, Charlo’s win is by far the most impressive. Golovkin looked like he was running out of gas towards the end of his contest with Derevyachenko. If Charlo fought Golovkin, who’s the IBF titleholder, Charlo would have to be favored.

Canelo Alvarez still holds the WBA belt, but he may decide to make super middleweight his permanent home. He fought as a light heavyweight in his last bout, but that seemed like a one-off against Sergey Kovalev. Also, Alvarez is mired in business trouble with DAZN and his promoter Golden Boy. It could be a while before he boxes again.

If Alvarez leaves the middleweight division, it’s hard to name a better boxer than Charlo. He’s as good as advertised, and at 30 years old, has plenty of time to cause havoc in the division.