Jermall Charlo established himself as one of the best fighters in the world at junior middleweight and after vacating his title in February, he’s ready to try his hands at middleweight. Charlo is set to make his 160-pound debut on July 29 against Jorge Sebastian Heiland on Showtime.
“I've been training since end of January to prepare myself for the move up to middleweight,” said Charlo (25-0, 19 KOs). “I'm feeling stronger, I'm feeling smarter and overall, I'm feeling better. Heiland is a tough fighter and I know he plans on bringing his A-game on July 29. He's just as hungry as me. We both want to be in a place to fight the best in the division, but I never overlook the opponent in front of me. It's time to make my mark so I can become a two-division world champion. I plan to take care of business at 160 just like I did at 154.”
Heiland, meanwhile, is a crafty veteran from Argentina. He’s won his last eight bouts – seven via knockout – and is aiming to be the first man to conquer Charlo in the pros. Though he did challenge Sebastian Zbik for an interim middleweight title, he came up short in the bout, which took place seven years ago. He has since won a regional title but has yet to face the type of foe that Charlo is.
“I'm thrilled to be facing a great fighter like Jermall Charlo,” said Heiland (29-4-2, 16 KOs). “I've waited a long time for a chance like this, so I will give it my all. I am fearless and I promise that this bout will be an all-out war because my career and livelihood are on the line.”
The Charlo-Heiland bout is an eliminator bout for the WBC middleweight title, currently held by Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. The matchup will serve as the lead-in for the massive Mikey Garcia versus Adrien Broner super lightweight bout at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Additional televised undercard action will see Gerald Washington take on Jarrell Miller in a 10-round heavyweight showdown. Televised coverage begins on Showtime at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.