Undefeated junior middleweight Jermall Charlo held a media workout in Houston, Texas, earlier in the week as he continued prepping for his big upcoming title shot against Carlos Molina, the first test of his career and a major opportunity. Right here, you can find a collection of quotes and photos from Charlo’s training session.
JERMALL CHARLO, Top Junior Middleweight Contender
“I’m super excited to bring the IBF title back to Houston. It’s been a long time coming for me and my twin brother Jermell. On March 8, I’m going to give it all I got.
“This is like a regular fight to me. I work hard for every fight. Carlos Molina, he is just the stepping-stone and I just have to get past this obstacle. Once my team gets past this, I feel like we’ll be at the top forever.
“This fight is big. It’s major. I’m 17 -0 right now. I haven’t even clinched 20 fights and I’m fighting for a world title. I feel like an elite fighter. I have an elite team behind me. So, it’s just a matter of time.
[On working with trainer Ronnie Shields]
“It’s great. I feel like it can’t get any better. Having a team like this led by Ronnie Shields, it doesn’t get any better than this.
“This is like any other fight I’ve ever had. In 2013, none of my opponents had been knocked out. I knocked them out. I face top guys and it’s just another day in the office for me.
“My team gets me ready and it’s not about just me. My team got me prepared and ready with what I can do in the ring. Ronnie Shields has been with top-class athletes in the sport of boxing. I’m the next one.
[On the work to get to this point in camp]
” We all have one big goal to accomplish. With my team behind me like they’ve been behind me, I couldn’t ask for anything better. Not only my team, but I have the whole city [of Houston] behind me. It’s just in a matter of time. Training with Brian Vera, training with my twin brother, those guys push me to be where I am. I know I have a lot to prove so, on March 8 I’m going to give you all I have and bring that IBF title back to this city.”
RONNIE SHIELDS, Charlo’s Trainer
[On what he is doing to prepare Jermall Charlo for his upcoming fight]
“We aren’t doing anything different then what we’ve already been doing. The thing about us is, we train hard every day. We don’t skip a beat on anything because on certain fights people might not think what we are doing is that important. Every fight is important. So you have to be ready for every fight. This is what we’ve always trained for.
[On Jermall’s growth as a fighter]
“At the end of 2012 we were 10-0. So, I called Al Haymon and I said ‘Look, you have to sign this kid.’ I said ‘this kid is going to be champion of the world for a very long time. He’s young and he’s strong. He’s got everything that it takes.’ So he said OK. I said we’ve just got to keep him busy. So, seven fights later, seven knockouts, now here it is and he’s fighting for a world title.”
