Charlo, who has not fought since his September 2023 loss to Canelo Alvarez, dismissed Fundora outright when asked about his next fight.
WBC junior middleweight champion Fundora had just stopped Thurman in six rounds on March 28 in Las Vegas to secure his position at the top of the division. Instead of acknowledging that result, Charlo spoke as if the current titleholder is holding something that still belongs to him.
It’s a classic case of a fighter’s ego outlasting his activity. Jermell being there in person at the MGM Grand and immediately talking trash is the ultimate “I’m still relevant” move, but the optics are questionable at best.
Jermell hasn’t fought in about 30 months by the time he’d actually get back in the ring. Seeing a 35-year-old (turning 36 in May) come off that kind of layoff and demand an immediate shot at the top dog feels like he’s trying to skip the line.
When Jermell says “Get the money, dummy,” he’s saying the quiet part out loud. He knows he’s still a name that can sell a PPV, and he’s banking on his past “undisputed” status to bypass the meritocracy of boxing.
If this fight actually gets made next, it sends a pretty cynical message to the fans: Rankings don’t matter, and activity is optional if you have enough followers. Fans generally want to see a former champ prove they can still make the weight and still have the reflexes before jumping into a world title fight. Jumping straight into a Fundora fight after such a long layoff and a lack of ranking feels like a cash-out move rather than a “return to the throne.”
The rankings confirm exactly what you suspected. As of early March 2026:
WBC/WBA/WBO/IBF: Jermell is nowhere to be found in the Top 15 of the major sanctioning bodies at junior middleweight.
The 154-lb division: Sebastian Fundora is the man with the targets on his back (holding the WBC).
A fight between Charlo and Fundora would carry clear appeal because of the contrast in styles and profiles, but nothing is in place yet. The only concrete development is Charlo putting his name back into the picture and doing it in a way that questions the legitimacy of the man who just won.
It reads less like a standard callout and more like a reminder of how Charlo still sees his place at 154. The division has moved without him, but he is talking as if it never did.
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