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Undefeated middleweight contender Jermell Charlo looks to move one step closer to a title fight as he faces a tough former champion who may be on the tail end of a once glorious career.
Charlo headlines a PBC card in his hometown when he faces former light middleweight champion Joachim Alcine in a 10-round 154-pound main event bout at the NRG Arena in Houston, Texas.
Ready for The Taking?
Last month, Jermell’s twin brother Jermall won the IBF light middleweight title by battering Cornelius Bundrage to four knockdowns en route to a convincing 3rd round TKO win. The Charlo twins dream to become the first twin brothers in boxing history to hold world titles at the same time. Jermell’s journey begins on October 31st against an opponent who may be his for the taking.
Joachim Alcine won the WBA light middleweight title in 2007 but only has two wins in his last eight bouts. The 39-year old Haitian-Canadian hasn’t fought since May of 2014 when he fought Delvin Rodriguez to a split draw. Prior to 2014, Alcine suffered five consecutive losses from 2012-2013 which began with KO losses to Matthew Macklin and Brian Rose. Alcine’s last big win was a 12-round MD win over David Lemieux in December of 2011.
One Win Away
After his proposed December 2014 WBO light middleweight title bout with Demetrius Andrade was cancelled, Jermell Charlo went on to fight top contender Vanes Martirosyan last March. The bout turned out to be the biggest win of his career as Charlo beat Martirosyan via UD to improve his record to 26-0 with 11 KOs. Currently, Jermell is ranked #2 by both the IBF and WBC in their 154-pound rankings. With brother Jermall owning the IBF strap, the target is now the WBC version of the titles which is currently vacant. A win over Alcine should lead to that WBC title bout.
Who Takes This?
Charlo has everything going for him against Alcine. He is nearing his prime at 25 and is fighting a fading former world champion in his backyard. But having said that, the pressure to win has never been higher especially since his twin brother Jermall already has a world title belt wrapped around his waist. Jermell doesn’t really have the KO power of his twin brother but his overall skills should be enough to beat Alcine who is looking for a big upset. Charlo is a -3300 favorite to beat Alcine, a +1200 underdog in most books. We’re picking Charlo to pick up an easy 12 round UD win and go on to fight for the WBC title next year.
