Highlights
—Jermall Charlo set the tone early, hammering a big right hand over Cornelius Bundrage’s jab and planting it in the veteran’s ear, sending him to the canvas with a little over a minute to go in the first round.
—If at first you don’t succeed, knock ’em down again. Midway through the second round, Charlo blasted a left jab straight to Bundrage’s nose that again put the defending champ on the mat.
—After wobbling Bundrage with a left in the third round, Charlo pounced on him, worked him back into the corner and dropped the champ again. A right hook finished the job about a minute later, giving Charlo his first world title.
Consider youth served. Jermall Charlo, 17 years the junior of 42-year-old veteran Cornelius Bundrage, announced himself with a roaring statement Saturday at Foxwoods Resort Casino with an absolute whitewashing of the defending champion.
Charlo jumped out to an early lead with a chopping right over Bundrage’s jab with about a minute to go in the first round that sent Bundrage sprawling to the canvas. But Charlo wasn’t done there—not by a long stretch.
He popped Bundrage with a left jab in the second that again scored a knockdown. It was just a matter of time at that point.
In the third, Charlo wobbled Bundrage with a left and as he was staggering back toward the ropes, Charlo pounced and pinned him in the corner, dropping Bundrage one more time.
Three down, three back up for Bundrage as the game veteran clambered back to his feet. But it wasn’t his night.
Charlo threw a left jab that Bundrage slipped, but as he moved his head to the right, it went directly into the path of a thundering right hook from Charlo, and with 27 seconds left in the round, that was enough for referee Johnny Callas, who stopped the fight.
With the victory, Charlo remained unbeaten and became a 154-pound world champion.
With his defeat of Cornelius Bundrage, Jermall Charlo gained his first world title. (Suzanne Teresa / Premier Boxing Champions)