Jermall Charlo defends WBC title with win over Juan Montiel (Video)

Jermall Charlo beat Juan Montiel by decision, improving to 32-0 and defending his WBC world middleweight title in the process.

Jermall Charlo proved why he is one of boxing’s best middleweights once again. Charlo defeated Juan Montiel by unanimous decision (118-109, 119-109, 120-108) and successfully defended his WBC middleweight championship in the Premier Boxing Champions main event on Showtime.

Charlo and Montiel traded shots between one another through the first few rounds before Charlo found his rhythm in the third.

Upon the beginning of the round, Charlo mixed up his combinations with jabs and body shots. While Montiel landed good shots himself, Charlo’s power shots eventually put Montiel in a bit of trouble. Fortunately for the challenger, the round concluded with Montiel’s best effort of the fight to that point, as he landed a two-punch combination just before the bell rang.

In the fourth, Charlo and Montiel stood and traded to the enjoyment of the Toyota Center crowd, as Charlo failed to deliver the finishing touches that originally had Montiel hurt.

A 1-2 combination to start the fifth round had Montiel on skates for a brief period before going back to the body shots that had worked well in the earlier portion of the title fight.

Through five rounds, Charlo had dictated the pace of the fight and had Montiel nearly finished on several occasions. Despite that, Montiel kept his composure entering the sixth.

As the sixth round began, Charlo went to work against the ropes and landed several devastating blows that had Montiel on wobbly legs. A few jabs in the ladder half of the round extended the fight for Montiel.

Round seven saw more of the same for Charlo, as Montiel was mainly stuck in survival mode. In round eight, Montiel showed heart and kept firing away at the champion, taking and giving his best punches with Charlo doing the same. In round nine, Montiel took advantage of a Charlo cut and made him slip near the end of the round, while both men still traded shots.

During the 10th, Montiel tired Charlo but it wasn’t enough to secure the upset, as Chsrlo kept going to the body. In the 11th, both men’s fatigue was apparent, but Montiel kept throwing everything he had to offer.

Jermall Charlo won a lopsided decision

Charlo kept putting together clean body shots, as he left little doubt by defending his title via unanimous decision.

The loss dropped Montiel to 22-5-2, but his toughness is what kept him coming forward, regardless of the scorecards.

Jermall Charlo vs. Juan Montiel took place on Saturday, June 19, 2021, live from Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. Follow along with FanSided for all your live news and highlights.