Jermell Charlo vs John Jackson Preview May 21st
The vacant WBC World Jr. Middleweight Title will be on the line this Saturday, May 21st when unbeaten Jermell Charlo of Richmond, Texas takes on John Jackson of the U.S. Virgin Islands at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas. The 12-round bout can be seen live in the U.S. on the Showtime network while fans in the U.K. can catch the action on BoxNation. Charlo is the twin brother of Jarmall Charlo, who will be defending his IBF Junior Middleweight Title on the same card. Charlo’s last fight was back in October when he stopped Joachim Alcine in the sixth round. Jackson last fought in August and beat Dennis Laurente by a 10-round unanimous decision.
Charlo vs Jackson Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- John Jackson +450
- Jermell Charlo -600
My Pick
The 25-year-old Charlo will climb into the ring with a perfect record of 27-0 along with 12 Kos. He stands 5-feet-11-inches tall and has a reach of 73 inches. He turned pro back in 2007 and has boxed 173 rounds since then. Charlo doesn’t have as much power as his brother Jarmall as his current knockout ratio is just 44 percent. But one of the reasons for this could be the better grade of opponent he’s faced up to now. Charlo has beaten some pretty good boxers during his career such as Alcine, Vanes Martirosyan, Gabriel Rosado, Demetrius Hopkins and Harry Joe Yorgey.
Charlo typically relies on his slick boxing skills to win fights, but has enough power to stop a foe with an accumulation of well-placed and timed punches, which is what he did with former world champ Alcine. Although he has good boxing skills, Charlo isn’t an overly-exciting boxer to watch. Up to now he’s been just a little bit too good for the opposition and the bouts haven’t resulted in much action or drama. Hopefully for the fans things will be a bit different against Jackson on Saturday night.
Jackson is a 27-year-old who has built up a record of 20-2 with 15 Kos. He’s 8-2 in his last 10 bouts with losses to Andy Lee and Willie Nelson. Jackson is 6-feet tall and has a 75-inch reach which gives him an advantage in both of those physical areas. He’s the son of former pro boxer Julian Jackson and the brother of Julius Jackson and represented his homeland at the 2008 Olympics Games in Beijing, China as a welterweight. Jackson turned pro back in 2009 and has 98 rounds under his belt since then. He has pretty good power, like the rest of his family, and has a current knockout ratio of 68 per cent.
However, Jackson’s chin may be a bit of a weak spot as Lee stopped him in the fifth round of their fight in June of 2014 after Jackson had dropped him in the opening round. Jackson’s wins have been against less-than-stellar opponents and he’s come out on the losing end when stepping up in class against Nelson and Lee. Therefore, he may also encounter problems in the ring with Charlo. Jackson is a fan-friendly boxer though with enough power to be a threat to just about anybody he faces, meaning Charlo can’t afford to take him too lightly.
Prediction……
Jackson’s best chance here appears to lie in his power. It’s doubtful he’ll be able to outbox Charlo, but he could cause some trouble if he lands cleanly, often, and early. If Charlo isn’t bothered by Jackson’s big shots though, then it doesn’t bode well for Jackson as he’ll likely drop a decision or possibly be stopped later in the fight.
Charlo should have too much in the way of boxing skills for Jackson,but he’ll also need a solid chin.
Play: Charlo -600 @ BetOnline.ag
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Jermell Charlo betting • John Jackson betting