Interview Only: Jermall Charlo expressed his desire to fight Gennady Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez

Summary

Summary of "The Stephen A. Smith Show" Episode Featuring Jamal Charlo

Release Date: June 2, 2025

In this compelling episode of The Stephen A. Smith Show, host Stephen A. Smith engages in an in-depth conversation with undefeated boxer Jamal Charlo. The discussion delves into Charlo's recent hiatus from the ring, his personal struggles, familial relationships, and his aspirations for future high-profile fights. The interview provides listeners with a candid look into Charlo's mindset and determination to reclaim his status in the boxing world.

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Return to the Ring After Hiatus

Stephen A. Smith opens the conversation by addressing Jamal Charlo's unexpected 18-month break from boxing. Expressing both concern and admiration, Smith remarks:

"Where the hell have you been, man? I mean, you too damn great. You're undefeated. You're too damn good for us not to, to go 18 months without seeing your fight." [01:41]

Jamal Charlo responds by explaining the necessity of his time away, emphasizing the importance of healing and refocusing:

"Sometimes time heals wounds, you know, and sometimes, you know, I had to step away and... get myself back focused and get back right." [01:50]

Charlo highlights that the lack of suitable fight opportunities and personal commitments, such as taking care of his children, contributed to his extended absence from the ring.

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Facing Industry Challenges and Promoters

The conversation shifts to the broader challenges Charlo faces within the boxing industry, particularly concerning promoters and fight negotiations. Charlo expresses frustration with the industry's systemic barriers:

"Some of these promoters, some of the stingy people... it's so hard to make these fights happen." [03:28]

He underscores a shift towards fighters taking control of their own fight promotions, aiming for more equitable matchups based on mutual interest rather than promotional constraints.

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Personal Struggles and Mental Health

A poignant moment arises when Smith addresses the emotional and personal challenges Charlo has endured. Recalling past incidents, Smith probes deeper into Charlo's near-crisis moments:

"What do you have to say to the boxing audience right now about all you've been through and why they should believe you're back and you're here to stay?" [04:21]

Charlo opens up about his mental health struggles, admitting periods where he contemplated giving up:

"I was giving up in my mind... Some of them dark nights when I was in my dark places..." [05:26]

He candidly discusses his reluctance to seek help from family due to feelings of embarrassment and negative energy. Ultimately, Charlo credits his recovery to faith and the unwavering support of his fans:

"I gave it all to God now. So I know God got the best interest of me fans that... understand me. They know that I'm here to go get another world title at 168. And I'm here to stay." [04:21]

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Rebuilding Relationships with His Brother

The interview touches upon Jamal Charlo's relationship with his twin brother, reflecting on past conflicts and current camaraderie. Charlo acknowledges past mistakes and the journey to reconciliation:

"My brother definitely helped me... we got that one bond where we talked about it, we figured it out." [06:27]

He emphasizes their renewed commitment to training together and supporting each other's boxing careers:

"We got back training together. We went back to our whole roof... we got our boxing gym together." [06:27]

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Upcoming Fight Against Thomas Lamana

A significant portion of the discussion centers on Charlo's imminent fight against Thomas Lamana. Smith probes into Charlo's expectations and strategies for this bout:

"This guy, Thomas Lamana... I'm not taking nothing away from him. He's experienced... but he's never been in there with a Jamal Charlo." [07:43]

Charlo confidently outlines his game plan, focusing on superior defense and speed:

"My defense will be on point. I'll be sharp. I'm faster, I'm better. I'm telling you, I... I only could talk about it, but I'd rather show you." [07:43]

He also highlights the significance of winning this fight to secure his third world title:

"We're fighting for the WBA. So it'll be my third world title in my third division." [07:43]

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Aspirations for Higher-Profile Fights

Looking ahead, Charlo expresses a strong desire to face top-tier opponents like Caleb Plant and Canelo Álvarez. He articulates a preference for building his legacy through these high-stakes matches:

"That's the fight that the fans want. That's the fight that needs to happen." [09:16]

When questioned about prioritizing a potential fight with Caleb Plant over other prominent fighters, Charlo affirms his eagerness:

"Yeah, at this point, for sure." [10:03]

He underscores the historical and personal significance of a potential matchup with Plant, emphasizing mutual respect and shared Southern roots:

"History. We got history. He snuck me at the thing... We're both Southern." [10:46]

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Final Thoughts and Predictions

As the interview wraps up, Charlo shares his predictions and determination regarding his upcoming fight:

"I'm gonna beat his ass for the whole 12 minutes. And if I knock him out, I'm knock him out." [11:18]

Stephen A. Smith expresses his support and anticipation for Charlo's performance, highlighting the deep ties and mutual respect despite past disagreements.

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Conclusion

This episode offers a profound glimpse into Jamal Charlo's resilience and unwavering commitment to his boxing career. From overcoming personal demons to navigating the complexities of the boxing industry, Charlo emerges as a determined athlete poised for significant future successes. His aspirations to engage in marquee fights reflect his ambition to solidify his legacy within the sport.

Transcript

[Podcast Announcer]

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[Ryan]

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[Stephen A. Smith]

VGW Group void where prohibited by law 21/ terms and conditions apply. My next guest has a boxing record of 33 and 0 with 22 knockouts. Tomorrow night he returns to the ring after an 18 month hiatus at the Michelob Ultra arena in Las Vegas, Nevada to take on South Jersey's top Thomas Lamana, whose record is 39, five and one with 18 knockouts. The one and only Jamal Charlo. The Hitman. The modern day Hitman. What's up big time? How are you man?

[Jamal Charlo]

How's everything up, Mr. Stephen A. How you doing man?

[Stephen A. Smith]

Now where the hell have you been, man? I mean, you too damn great. You're undefeated. You're too damn good for us not to, to go 18 months without seeing your fight. Where you been, man?

[Jamal Charlo]

You know, sometimes time heal wounds, you know, and sometimes, you know, I had to step away and you know, get myself back focused and get back right. Some of the fights that I was looking for, they wasn't happening and you know, I'm getting a little harder. Just had to take care of my kids and just, just, you know, hiding under the rock, working, you know, I.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I saw you and the last time we saw each other face to face was at The Errol Spence Jr. And Terence Crawford weigh in. And, and I remember talking to you because your, your little brother was about to fight Canelo and I'm like, wait a minute, you bigger. You know, I said you the one that's supposed to be in that ring with him and that didn't happen. And I thought that that would have been an epic fight. When you look at your career and the bottom line is you're undefeated, but people barely talk about you. How much has that resonated with you and made you ache to get back in the ring?

[Jamal Charlo]

It does feed my eagerness. And then now I'm getting a little bit more educated on, like, you know, process and how everything, you know, happens. And some of these fighters that is trying to fight me on that big level, that big stage, it's not even on them. It's these promoters, some of the stingy people, some of the people that's, that's over the headquarters. It, you know, it's. It's so hard to make these fights happen. And we with the same handle as half of the time. So honestly, you know, the big fights is. Is, you know, they on the way, but now we starting to. The fighters, their self are starting to promote the fight. They starting to make the fights happen now. So it's fighter versus fighter.

[Stephen A. Smith]

You know, I, I get criticized because. Listen, listen, I'm a fan of you and your brother. I always have been. And I, damn it, I'm always going to be because I like y' all. I like y' all both, okay? And, And I remember you, you know, when you got yourself into some issues, the crash into the Lamborghini and got arrested, all of this other stuff I was saying to you when I saw you, I was saying to you what I had said on television. You've been through a lot. You've been going through a lot emotionally, and I'm glad you brought up that stuff about, you know, other fighters, because it seemed like you looked at the system, whether it was the fighters, the promoters, you were struggling to figure out what the hell was going on and why you were going through some of the things that you've gone through. What do you have to say to. To the boxing audience right now about all you've been through and why they should believe you're back and you're here to stay for the foreseeable future, as opposed to being somebody that's going to disappear in another year or two.

[Jamal Charlo]

From the bottom of my heart, my fans who stood with me that, that honestly knew what I was going through at the time. I really wanted those big fights and they wasn't happening. And a lot of times, you know, we don't know what we going through at the moment. And yeah, I was on that. On that verge of crashing out, but, you know, I stay focused. And the reason they, they should know that this is not gonna happen ever again. Because, like, you know, I moved forward and, and I gave it all to God now. So I know God got the best interest of me fans that, that have been there for me and that, that, you know, understand me. They know that I'm here to go get another world title at 168. And I'm here to stay. I'm here to stay. I'm back. I'm better. The little time off is something I needed to heal myself, and I did mentally, physically, and emotionally. So I'm back in the ring.

[Stephen A. Smith]

When you say that you were close to crashing out, not my words, your words tell the audience specifically what you mean by that.

[Jamal Charlo]

I was giving up in my mind. You know, I gave up on myself sometimes. Some of them dark nights when I was in my dark places, I, I, you know, I didn't have no one to turn to. I was actually embarrassed to go to my mom. I was embarrassed to go to my brother. I thought me going around my brother and my mom and my family and my friends, people that were close to me like that I was bringing negative energy to them. I didn't want to be around nobody. I want to try to handle it on my own. But then I just stepped out the little box and kind of gave it to God and started giving everything, you know, all my problems and putting it on the table and facing them and battle on myself. Crashing out like I was, you know, not caring about what the next person thought about me or how I felt about it to my fans and my, you know, people who really understood me. I just didn't want to listen at the time. And it took me some, you know, some, some shaping up to do. I got back, and I feel like I'm back and I'm stronger and I'm better.

[Stephen A. Smith]

How much, if at all, has your brother helped you and how close are you guys now?

[Jamal Charlo]

My brother definitely helped me. I even said some things to him when I was going through. I was going through that, you know, I regret saying. And we, we got that one bond where, you know, we talked about it, we figured it out, we figured that wasn't the move. And, you know, and me and my twin brother, we, we real close now. We see how he understood what I was going through. You know, it's just one of those things, you know, like, my brother always got me, so he motivated me more. I got we back training together. We went back to our whole roof. We both got our, our first trainer back, the amateur trainer that we started this boxing stuff off with, and we both trained together, we got our boxing gym together. We, you know, we. We back on, you know, he went through the Canelo fight, and I wish I could have been there a little bit more, but I blame that on me. So now it's my turn to get in there with him.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I'm wondering whether or not that's ever gonna happen. I think you got business to handle with Caleb Plant first, however, you got this fight. Cause you can't take anything for granted in the boxing. You know that a hell of a lot better than me or most people. Talk to me about this fight coming up, who this brother is and what you think he brings to the table, particularly going up against the likes of you. This guy, Thomas Lamana, I mean, I'm.

[Jamal Charlo]

Not taking nothing away from Thomas Lamata. He has experience. He has like 39 fights or whatnot. He's a tall guy, rangy. He's been in the amateur. He's been around boxing for a while. He's not. It's not like a pushover, no walkover. He's just, you know, he's never been in there with a Jamal Charlotte. I don't come to lose. I don't come to play. I'm going to try to be as precise as I can. I'mma feed him everything that he. He's available for. The defense makes championships. You know that. So my defense will be on point. I'll be sharp. I'm faster, I'm better. I'm telling you, I. I only could talk about it, but I'd rather show you, you know. You know, but hats off to Thomas for stepping up and being, you know, who he said he gonna be. You know, I mean, we're gonna see. You know, hopefully he can stand up to the. The punishment or not. You know, it is what it is. We fighting for the wba. So it'll be my third world title in. In my third division.

[Stephen A. Smith]

That's right. You already won a junior middleweight in the middleweight title, and you're undefeated. And now you're going for a super middleweight title. Everybody believes that this is the setup. Obviously, you're on the undercard. Caleb plan is on the main card, the main event that night. And everybody's heard about y' all history. You know, you. You grabbed his bed and supposedly slapped you at all this. Y' all don't like each other, but according to reports, y' all have talked to each other, and y' all ain't. I ain't gonna call y' all friends or anything like that, but y' all Understand the business that comes with it. Right now, everybody's looking forward to you ultimately fighting that dude. How much are you looking forward? How much does this fight serve as motivation? Knowing that in all likelihood, Caleb Plant will be next, assuming he handles his business Saturday night.

[Jamal Charlo]

Right. He has the WBA interim title. The super should be the. The super champion should be vacated soon, and me and Caleb Planford should be fighting for that world title. I want to fight. That's the fight that the fans want. That's the fight that needs to happen. No if, ands or bus about it. You know, the Canelo fight, yeah, that's a cool fight, but the fans and all people around the world, they'd rather see me fight that fight. That's the fight I want to have. Yes, we. We talked about it. We. We handle business together. You know, he got to take care of his business, I got to take care of mine. You gotta take care of his family. I gotta take care of mine. Do the same. But you got a different hunger in Jamal's hollow. And that's the fight I want. That's the fight we're gonna have.

[Stephen A. Smith]

So you want the Caleb Plant fight more than you want Canelo? More than you want David Benavidez?

[Jamal Charlo]

Yeah, at this point, for sure.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Okay. All right, so what's gonna happen?

[Jamal Charlo]

I'd rather. I'd rather fight for my legacy rather than just go, oh, Vinavidis because he so called the Mexican monster Canelo, because he's Canelo, you know, he's all time great or whatever. Hall of Famer, you know, can't take nothing away from none of these fighters. Caleb Plan, he's. He's one of those high guard champions. I mean, but I feel like this one of those fights, me and Kayla Plant, we. This. This would be better right now, at the time, if this would be a better fight than a Canelo fight or a Benavidez fight.

[Stephen A. Smith]

But. But why do you want him so badly? Put it. I don't want to speculate for. Why do you tell the world why you want him so bad?

[Jamal Charlo]

History. We got history. He snuck me at the thing. He want to be tough. He want to be, you know, he a culture vulture. I want all that. You know, if you really want me to go there with you, you know, he not on my level. You know what I'm saying? I'm from Houston, he from Tennessee, whatever. We're both Southern. But, you know, just speaking on it, like, as real as I can, I want to fight somebody that, like, I. I want that fight. I'M more eager for that fight, if anything.

[Stephen A. Smith]

All right, well, then that means you're gonna handle your business even more Saturday night. Can I get a prediction before I let you get on out of here? Are we looking at a knockout Saturday night? What are we looking for?

[Jamal Charlo]

I'm gonna beat his ass for the whole 12 miles. And if I knock him out, I'm knock him out.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I got you. I'll see you soon, man. I'm happy to see you back. Handle your business. So you can stay back. I'm t. I. I don't want to see. I don't. I love your brother. You know I love your brother, but I was so mad when he was in the ring with Canelo, cuz I was like, he's moving up two weight classes. You. You were supposed to be in there against that brother because you're a little bigger.

[Jamal Charlo]

And we both was mad at each other because I was mad at you for picking on LeBron. Leave LeBron alone.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Oh, you stop that, man. It's me picking on LeBron. I'm picking on the 6, 8, 260 pound dude. I'm picking on him. I'm picking. That's what we doing tomorrow.

[Jamal Charlo]

You showing up at the fights is just like me showing up at Taylor Plant. Them fights. You. You. Come on. You antagonizing a.

[Stephen A. Smith]

All the best, man. I'll be watching you Saturday night, bro. We'll talk soon. And we'll talk about that LeBron when I see you too, we'll talk about. All right, Handle your business. All right, bro. Take it easy. Good luck, man. That was Jamal Charlo. I'm wishing them luck, man. You know, I had a lot of confidence, a few conversations with him in the past, man. He's good people. I'm really hoping that he handles his business Saturday night. I think he will. And I would like to see him against Caleb Plant. To be honest with you, really, really would.

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[Ryan]

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[Podcast Announcer]

This is an iHeart podcast.