Jermall Charlo stops Dennis Hogan in Brooklyn: Is Danny Jacobs next?

WBC middleweight champion Jermall Charlo took care of business last Saturday night in the main event at Barclays Center. Charlo, who is recently coming off two decision wins against Brandon Adams and Matt Korobov, returned to the knockout column.

Charlo stopped the Australian Dennis Hogan, who is now fighting out of Ireland within seven rounds.

The contest, which was televised on Showtime, saw Charlo score two knockdowns [the first in the fourth] en route to his second successful defense of his 160-pound strap. For much of the contest Hogan pretended to fight but wasn’t doing anything of significance. It was a mismatch from beginning to end. Charlo dropped Hogan in the 4^th round with a right uppercut. He then closed the show in the 7^th round with a left hook that came from the mid-west.

"I made it through 2019, and we’re going to 2020 with 20/20 vision. Shout out to Dennis Hogan for giving me real competition and for coming up in weight to fight me," Charlo said. "Of course, my power prevailed tonight."

Charlo, 29, now 30-0, (22), of Houston Texas possessed the [WBC] interim title. Charlo was then elevated to full champion status after Saul “Canelo” Alvarez was stripped of the belt in June of this year.

Outside of the customary feel out first round that fight fans have grown accustomed to seeing, Charlo dominated the contest from rounds two through seven. Twelve seconds into the fourth round, Charlo scored an extra point on the scorecard via an uppercut.

"We’ve been working on that uppercut," Charlo said. "I try to take him out with every punch, and we work hard for it. He got up and he fought like a champion."

In the seventh stanza, Charlo feinted with a right hand and then immediately followed up with a lead left hook that landed flush Hogan on Hogan’s chin, dropping him once more to the canvas. To Hogan’s credit, he managed to beat the count, albeit dazed, prompting the referee, Charlie Fitch to call a halt to the bout just 28 seconds into the frame.

"I wanted to keep going but the decision was fair enough by the referee,” said Hogan, 34, now 28-3-1, (7). “I didn’t see the punch coming on the second knockdown. I was trying to keep boxing him but then all of a sudden, I was on the ground and the fight was over.”

When asked about the left hook,

"[Trainer] Ronnie [Shields] told me to cut him off. I just threw the shot, and I made sure I threw it right on the money," Charlo said.

In a division that plays host to some of the bigger names in boxing such as Canelo, Gennadiy Golovkin and Demetrius Andrade, the potential of Charlo securing a big fight in the future would seem simple but it’s not a given. Canelo, Golovkin and Andrade fight on DAZN.

Charlo fights under the PBC [Premier Boxing Champions] banner. So, the likelihood of ever witnessing Charlo step into the ring with any of them in the immediate future doesn’t seem possible, well at least for now.

Two-time former world champion and Showtime commentator/analyst Paulie Malignaggi concurred.

“Yeah, both sides [PBC] [DAZN] seem to be set in their ways and nobody wants to cross the street,” Malignaggi said. “I don’t know it’s difficult.”

On the PBC side there is Sergiy Derevyanchenko. If Golovkin doesn’t grant Derevyanchenko a rematch, Charlo-Derevyanchenko is a fight that can happen. Junior middleweight Jarret Hurd, who is also on the PBC roster, has hinted to the notion of moving up to middleweight. Hurd has somewhat of a following, and assuming that he declines on exercising his rematch clause with Julian Williams, a Charlo-Hurd fight is maybe something Charlo would consider moving forward.

But whether it’s Derevyanchenko or Hurd, Charlo is in a bad spot due to the limited selection of opponents at his disposal. Not to mention the parameters that must be set in place for these fights to happen primarily. It is imperative that a resolution be attained between PBC and DAZN.

But there is one name that has been intentionally left out of the equation, that’s Daniel Jacobs. Jacobs contractual situation is rather unique to say the least. Although he is promoted by Matchroom Boxing and fights exclusively on DAZN, he is still advised by Al Haymon [head of PBC]. Ultimately, Jacobs could be the one guy that bridges the gap between PBC-DAZN divide.

Jacobs is fighting Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. on December 20 in Phoenix, Arizona.

There has been a rumor circulating the mill suggesting that this will be Jacobs’s last fight on DAZN. Maxboxing contacted Jacobs’s manager Keith Connolly by telephone to confirm if this narrative was either true or false.

Connolly declined to comment with respect to what was asked. However, he did have this to say.

“A fight between Danny [Jacobs] and Jermall Charlo will happen. They will fight each other before the end of their careers. I am confident that Danny and Jermall will fight within the next 12 to 18 months. But first we have to take care of business on December 20^th. We are not looking past [Julio Cesar] Chavez, Jr. At the appropriate time we will consider all of our options moving forward.”

As for Charlo, he welcomes all challenges, but agrees that there are a lot of things in the way, which could affect his next move.

"The middleweight division is wide open. I’m going to enjoy this and spend time with my team. I’m here to fight whoever," Charlo said. "You have to make the right decisions and do it at the right time. That’s what it’s all about."

Charlo has fought on the Showtime network many times before. When referencing his team, Showtime is included. Considering the input that they have had in Charlo’s career, what does Showtime have in mind for him heading into 2020?

“Look, you can only fight who you can fight. Jermall and I have had conversations. If he gets an opportunity, a career defining opportunity against one of the huge names, I wouldn’t stand in his way,” Stephen Espinoza, President of Showtime Sports told Maxboxing. “He’s [Charlo] loyal. He has been loyal, but I understand that if there is an opportunity to fight one of those fights you do it. But we have never had to cross that bridge.”

Continuing, “The reality is he is open to it, I understand if he needs to go somewhere else and get a big fight and come back, I have no problem with it. The reality is none of those guys want it. They are not calling his name nor answering his calls. So, you continue to fight the guys that we can get, whether it’s Derevyanchenko or Eubank or any of those guys.”

Concluding on this specific matter, “Canelo never says the Charlo name, we know that. That’s not a conversation that Canelo’s team has ever been open to. I’ll give [Demetrius] Andrade’s team some credit. They have engaged in the conversation. I thought they were serious, ultimately it didn’t get done. But at least there has been some conversation. In terms of Golovkin and Canelo they never wanted to see Charlo, and I still think that’s the case.”

As for a potential showdown with Jacobs next year, “I don’t know how he [Charlo] feels about 168 [super middleweight]. It looks physically possible; he is a big 160 pounder. The reality is we have had a long relationship with him, but we [Showtime] are not going to stand in the way of a career defining fight. There has been off and on-again tension between Daniel and Jermall. If the fight is there, we will figure it out.”

In the co-feature bout of the evening, Chris Eubank Jr., of the United Kingdom, made his American debut. Eubank claimed a vacant interim middleweight championship when his opponent Matt Korobov failed to continue due to sustaining an injury to his left shoulder in the second round.

The result was ruled a second-round technical knockout victory for Eubank.

"I was trying to throw the left hand straight, and I just felt the muscle immediately, like I pulled it," Korobov said. "It was a lot of pain right away. I couldn’t fight with just one arm, especially being a southpaw."

In the opening bout of the telecast, former junior featherweight champion Ryosuke Iwasa of Japan, knocked out former bantamweight champion Marlon Tapales in the 11th round. With the victory, Ryosuke captured the vacant interim junior featherweight title.

“I knew that I had him hurt in the 11th round, and I was ready for the finish if the referee had let him keep fighting," Iwasa said through an interpreter. "It was a tough fight, but I trained really hard for this performance. My height and reach was definitely an advantage. I was able to put my punches together well. He never hurt me, but he was still difficult, and I had to focus to figure him out. We’re ready for anyone next. I’m going to keep working hard to become a world champion again next year."

Iwasa improved to 27-3, (17). Iwasa is kind of like the champion in recess, while unified champion Daniel Roman recovers from an injury. Most likely Iwasa and Roman will fight once Roman has returned to the ring and fully acclimated.