Junk Yard Dog……An especially nasty, vicious, or savage person……Of a person, often used in the phrase “meaner than a junkyard dog.”
There is beauty in their savagery. You can see it building round by round as they impose their will and look to inflict fight ending damage on their adversaries. They don’t care what comes in return, willing to take one to land two or more with triple the force.
They don’t exhibit the tactics of a bar room fighter swinging wildly with reckless abandon, to the contrary, they are very calculated in their approach throwing damaging power with precision. Their vision is some of the best in the game combining the lethal and rare combination of boxing skills with fight ending power.
They seem to enjoy hurting their opponents, not with the intent to cause serious bodily injury but in a “I’m going to shut your mouth” kind of way…..and they sometimes smile while doing it. They are slick in their attack and very surgical while they look for that one moment when fear, weakness, or vulnerability is shown. Once that happens, they are like a junk yard dog protecting their domain and will not stop until the threat is neutralized.
Although there is no particular order here in discussing the four that were profiled, we’ll start first deep in the heart of the Lone Star State. The slogan “Don’t Mess With Texas” can appropriately be inserted here as we first acknowledge the baddest brothers in the game, The Charlos.
Taught at an early age that purpose is nothing without patience and persistence, the Charlo Brothers are slowly climbing their way into the P4P discussion. Apologies to their “Lions Only” slogan it’s top game and appropriate; however, for this piece junk yard dogs will have to suffice.
First Jermall-
(Photo credit: Janer Bigio/Mayweather Promotions)
In an interview with FightHype.com, Jermall once stated,
“I want to take them out, I wan’t to break them down, I wan’t to hit them with something they’re not ever gonna see and not wake up..The whole time I’m training, I train with that in my mind, I wan’t to punch them with something they won’t see, won’t know about, and it’s going to hurt, I pray on it,…I pray that I hit them with something that they never see, murder intentions..”
Ruthless….
At 27-0 (21 KO), Jermall captured his first title, the IBF World Super Welterweight strap stopping tough as nails veteran Cornelius Bundrage in 2015. Since then he has stopped three out of four opponents, to include a KO over hard punching prospect Julian Williams and a UD over the very skilled Austin Trout, both in 2016. In his last fight, July 29 2017, he stopped Jorge Sebastian Heiland, a fighter who had never been stopped in 35 fights and had won 8 straight, including a stoppage win over Matthew Macklin.
We recently saw Jermall on April 21st against the once beaten Hugo Centeno Jr. The fight was originally scheduled for March 3; however, Centaro sustained a rib injury which delayed the bout.
After having captured a title at 154, Jermall headed north to 160 to face Centaro.
Said Jermall before the fight-
“I want to send a message to the world that I’m going to dominate the 160-pound division, while my brother proves he’s the best 154-pounder on the planet,”
“Once I get my shot, you will all see what I’m talking about. Hugo Centeno Jr. is just in the way of that process. After April 21, you’ll be able to see what I’m really made of.”
“Hugo is in the way of my process right now,” said Charlo. “I’ve got to go through him to get to my goal. We’ll see if he’s able to hold up against the power, speed and athleticism that I have. If not, I’m going to hurt him, real bad”
Standing-8’s assessment of Charlo/Centaro before the fight-
{Jermall is focused, ready and in tremendous shape. His speed is underrated, he throws a sledgehammer disciplined jab, and his right hand is dynamite, especially the sneaky uppercut.
Centaro is a slick boxer with an active jab but he’s in deep here. It’s doubtful he can withstand Charlo’s power and things may end violently for him. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Charlo attack the body to expose the recently recovered midsection.}
After seeing all he needed to see from Centaro in the first, Charlo wasn’t playing in the second. The new interim champ landed a four punch combination culminating with a massive right hand, sending the message he was looking for to the 160 pound division.
“It’s been an amazing journey to get here. I’m a two-time world champion…bring on Triple G! I want that fight……..I’m 27-0 with 21 knockouts. Everybody sees it. What more can I say?”
Jermall should now be the mandatory for Gennady Golovkin who, by no surprise made quick work of Vanes Martirosyan on May 5.
It would be great to see Jermall get that shot because he would make things very uncomfortable for the Pride Of Kazakhstan. The old adage…styles make fights…
Now Jermell, 30-0 (15 KO)-
Photo Credit- Dave Mandel/Showtime
The “younger” Charlo has stopped his last four opponents, most notably a first round destruction of the highly touted Erickson Lubin in his last fight, October 14, 2017.
Said Jermell after the Lubin fight-
“They were giving him a lot of attention. I was quiet the whole time,they said they were going to come take my title. I had to defend it. They didn’t know what I was brining into this and I think (Lubin) was worried about the wrong things.”
Two title bouts against two mandatory challengers in Lubin and Charles Hatley since winning the vacant WBC World Super Welterweight Title against John Jackson, and… all by knockout leaving no doubt that he is here to stay.
Next up for Jermell a June 9 date against former champion Trout. You probably can consider Trout a gatekeeper of sorts at this point in his career. He is a tough out; however, if you’re not on your game or you take him lightly, you can find yourself at a disadvantage quickly.
But don’t expect Jermell to be overlooking Trout with a rumours about a date with Canelo Alvarez making rounds on social media-
“Every fight in my life is important because the man standing across from me is there to beat me. Kobe Bryant used to talk about how he knew everyone was going to come at him extra hard, whether it was practice or a game, because of who he was and the status he had. I know that I can’t take anyone lightly.” Said Jermell
Jermell will also have added motivation here, trying to better the UD that brother Jermall had against Trout back in 2016. That said, Trout has a different take on the matchup
“When I fought his brother, I remember people counted me out and said history had been made before I even stepped into the ring. I’m here again to try to stop the ‘Charlo Show’ and start the ‘Trout Show.” Trout said.
“We’re ready to keep putting on shows for everyone,” Jermell said. “My brother just did his thing in Brooklyn, and we’re taking it to the West Coast. I love Los Angeles. I live here and I love training here. Me and Jermall both have knockouts at Staples Center, and we’re going to turn it out on June 9.
Bottom line- you’d be wise to respect the Charlos because they feed off disrespect or.. you can #KeepRunninYaMouth and find out……..
Said Jermall, “This is going to be a big year for me and my brother, we’re going to keep showing everyone why we’re so feared”
No argument here……
If you look close enough, you can see it as he inflicts pain, sometimes he doesn’t even try to hide it….the million dollar grin of Errol Spence Jr. 23-0 (20 KO).
Photo Credit- Esther Lin/Showtime
He knows when his opponent is done, you will know when you see the smirk. He revels in the anguish he is about to unleash. His combinations are some of the tightest in the game and he does not waste energy. Most every punch is calculated and he loves to systematically break his opponents down.
Even if he is landing at will to the head, he will purposely go to the body to break his opponent down even more. It’s then back upstairs as he looks for the shot that will have ringside observers yelling #MANDOWN, a phrase heard a lot at Spence Jr. fights as he has stopped his last ten opponents.
Photo Credit- Stacey Verbeek
In his last fight, Spence was so dominant his foe’s corner threw in the towel. Oh, by the way, it was against former two division world champion Lamont Peterson. From the opening bell, Spence stuck a blistering jab in Peterson’s grill following it with big right hands while destroying the body. He simply relegated a solid opponent and former champ into a sparring partner.
Spence is one of the most complete fighters in the game today. He brings a combination of power, superior boxing skills, and a high ring I.Q. to go with a very disciplined approach.
In the fight against Kell Brook you could actually see him enjoying the pain he was inflicting at the end of the fight. Although it was tight at times with both getting as good as they got, Brook began to fatigue due to his output. Spence then began to seriously impose his will around the 7th round, culminating with a 10th round knockdown and the impending stoppage in the 11th.
You could see Spence taking his time, picking his shots, enjoying the punishment. Everything he does is calculated. He does not waste energy, everything has a purpose. His skill set and approach are about as unique as you will find in the game today. He is a throwback of sorts, well schooled using the jab and committing to the body. The body work against Brook was the blueprint.
Spence Jr. continues his #Strapseason on June 16th against Carlos Ocampo, an undefeated fighter with no notable opponents. This will be Ocampo’s first fight outside of Mexico. If this already looks like a huge mismatch, you’re not seeing things.
Why Ocampo then for the rising star in Spence Jr.?
Well, mostly because he was ordered to do so by the International Boxing Federation (IBF) as a mandatory. Seems like the IBF should have better rankings? Their # 1 and 2 slots were vacant so #3 Ocampo enters the picture.
Spence Jr. is destroying top quality fighters with solid resumes so a defense against a lowered tier fighter should be quick; however, Spence does like to have fun in there just because he can.
Caution: Beware when you see the smirk.
Here is a prediction for Spence Jr. v. Ocampo-
MANDOWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
In the ring, Terence Crawford 32-0 (23 KO) is far from being your “Bud”, quite frankly, just the opposite. He is your enemy and you’d be wise to find a white flag.
Photo Credit: AP / Frank Franklin II
The proud native of Omaha, Nebraska is just flat-out tough. He will play with you for a few rounds and even let you land a few shots all in an effort to discover your weaknesses. His opponents get a false sense of achievement as they believe they are executing their game plan but Crawford is just setting his trap. An orthodox fighter who will turn southpaw just to challenge himself and have a bit of fun from the port side.
Crawford is very adept at adjusting his game plan during the fight to create better distance and angles. An on the job training of sorts with severe consequences for his opponent.
In his last fight, he faced fellow belt holder Julius Indongo for a chance to make history and unify the division. Just over two rounds later he landed a fight ending left to the body. Crawford usually takes a few more rounds to figure out his opponent but knew the body would be there so he exploited it and ended things.
Said Indongo- “I couldn’t breathe, it hurt so bad… not only did it hurt, it took my mind away, I couldn’t think”
Not only does Crawford beat opponents, for some, their loss against him has a way of stopping any momentum they might have had in their career.
Take Ricky Burns, he had not lost in 22 straight fights before being bested by Crawford. Afterwards lost two out of three.
Yuriorkis Gamboa was undefeated and as rising a star in the game at the time as there was. After being stopped by Crawford, he simply has not been the same fighter. Since the Crawford fight, Gamboa has fought mostly lower tier competition and was beaten by a fighter with twelve losses.
And most recent, the highly regarded undefeated Indongo, after being stopped by Crawford, or maybe more like exposed, he was stopped again seven months later.
Crawford will knuckleup with Jeff Horn this Saturday. The only name of note on Horn’s resume is Manny Pacquiao. Accoring to the scorecards, Horn defeated Manny Pacquiao July of last year. He’s had one fight since, a TKO over Gary Corcoran; however, he was pushed heavily in that fight and showed gaps where he was visibly fatigued prior to the stoppage.
Pacquiao is not the puncher he once was and had not stopped an opponent in eight years when he fought Horn, and….was two years shy of forty. On a few occasions, Pacquiao sunned Horn and although I’ll agree Horn did some things well against Pacquiao, the scorecard here was 115-113 Pacquiao. (My recap here, minute by minute- https://standing-8.com/2017/07/04/pacquiao-v-horn-dissected-a-deeper-look-60-seconds-at-a-time/)
That said, we see Crawford doing what he usually does. He’ll study Horn while scoring points with his underrated combination punching. He’ll allow Horn to be effective on portions of this gameplan to create a false sense of accomplishment. Then when Crawford sees what he is looking for, he’ll start landing his jab with more meaning setting the tone for Horn’s demise. Crawford will drastically increase his body work, and then he will stun Horn with a punch he does not see coming and once that happens, you’ll see it, the smile, Bud knows, it’s almost time to end things.
That said, if Horn is disrespectful during the build up, especially during fight week, it will most likely determine if Bud decides to end things quickly…..or captures the hornet in a glass bottle and tortures it until the end.
Lesson learned herein….
If you walk to the ring and you see this
You’re In Deep…….
Standing-8 