This was a strange Charlo camp, these weeks leading up to Jermall’s 154-pound title fight against world champ Cornelius Bundrage on Saturday, in that there was only one of them there.
Jermall Charlo celebrates his win over Lenny Bottai in December with his twin brother, Jermell, right behind him.
Normally, twin brother Jermell is right there with him, or vice versa. So as Jermall Charlo (21-0, 16 KOs) gets ready for his long-awaited showdown with Cornelius Bundrage (24-5, 19 KOs) at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut (NBC, 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT), with both fighters weighing in at 153 pounds Friday, he’s in a somewhat unusual position.
“It’s kind of different,” Jermall Charlo said. “We’re real competitive. We know each other more than anybody else.”
The twins have always been competitive, and that competition has helped push each other to the heights of their division. Like his brother, Jermell is undefeated at 26-0 (11 KOs).
They’ve learned the fundamentals of the game from each other, particularly, Jermall says, when it comes to perfecting distance and range.
The competitiveness that has fueled their boxing ascent didn’t just stay in the ring, either. Both of them played basketball and football in high school. In fact, they both suited up in the same position.
“We both played cornerback,” Jermall said. But neither brother had a clear-cut advantage. “He shut the sweeps down, but I got more interceptions.”
The last two times each of the brothers fought, the other one was also on the card. In March, while Jermall beat Michael Finney, Jermell headlined the card in Las Vegas with a win over Vanes Martirosyan. In December, they both appeared on the Devon Alexander-Amir Khan undercard in Las Vegas, where Jermall dropped Lenny Bottai and Jermell decisioned Mario Alberto Lozano.
Even though they might not be sharing a card this time, don’t think Jermell won’t have a presence at his twin’s fight.
“I’m stronger when I’m around my brother,” Jermall said.
For full coverage of Bundrage vs Charlo, check out our fight page.
