In a significant development in the boxing world, Jermell Charlo has been stripped of his WBA junior middleweight title, as confirmed by WBA President Gilberto Mendoza to Dan Rafael. This decision by the championship committee leaves the former undisputed champion beltless for the first time since 2019. Charlo has not entered the ring since his defeat by Canelo Alvarez in a match that saw him move up two weight classes, held at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas last September.
Charlo’s activity has been sparse over the past years, with only one fight each in 2020, 2021, and 2022, the last being against Canelo. Despite his previous status as undisputed champion, a title he secured in a 2022 rematch against Brian Castano following their 2021 draw, the WBA has now designated him as a champion in recess. This decision stems from Charlo's lack of communication regarding his future plans, including potential fights or his intended weight class for any return to the ring.
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The vacated WBA title is set to be contested this Friday, March 8, in Saudi Arabia, in a fight between Uzbekistan’s Israil Madrimov and Russia’s Magomed Kurbanov, ranked No. 1 and No. 2 by the WBA, respectively. Madrimov enters the fight with a record of 9-0-1 and 6 KOs while Kurbanov boasts a 25-0 record with 13 KOs, setting the stage for a highly anticipated showdown for the now-available WBA junior middleweight title.
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