Jermall Charlo defends his WBC middleweight title vs Juan Macias Montiel in Houston Saturday, and we have expert picks and the latest odds ahead of fight night.
Jermall (31-0 with 22 wins inside distance), has way bigger fights than this in his future – none bigger than a possible showdown with reigning P4P king Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez.
But first he must take care of business against Montiel (22-4-2 with all 22 wins inside distance).
Here’s all you need to know ahead of fight night at the Toyota Center.
Charlo vs Montiel Expert Picks & Odds
Jermall comes into this off a unanimous decision win over Sergiy Derevyanchenko last September. The fight headlines a decent-looking card from Texas.
It’s far from the biggest fight that could be made at 160 and Charlo himself described this weekend as “High risk, low reward”. He has a point. Montiel carries power and all 22 of his pro wins have come inside schedule. However, he has lost four times and has been operating below elite level for most of his career. It works be a seismic shock if he upset the
odds here.
Charlo is unbettable at anything from -2000 to -5000 on the money line, and no value either to win inside distance (he has a KO ratio of 70.9%. However three of his last four fights have gone 12 rounds, and there may be some value in picking Montiel to hear the final bell. Current odds of +350 look good, and we’re happy to take advantage.
OddsCritic Pick: Charlo to win by decision or technical decision at +350 (bet365)
What time does Charlo vs Montiel start?
The televised portion of the card starts at 2100 ET Saturday, with ring walks for the main event expected around 2300 ET.
How can I watch Charlo vs Montiel on TV?
This show is promoted by Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) and will be televised by Showtime in the U.S.
Charlo vs Montiel weights
There was drama at Friday’s weigh-in when Charlo came in over the 160lb middleweight limit. He was given two hours to lose the 0.4lb he was over, and came in right on 160 at the second attempt.
Montiel meanwhile weighed in at 159.5lbs.
Charlo vs Montiel fighter verdicts
Both fighters spoke to media this week – here are the best bits:
Jermall Charlo
“If he’s strong like they say he is, I’ll show you my movement and attack the body. I have all the skills and ability of every other great middleweight throughout history.
“He’s strong, but I fight strong fighters. I spar heavy fighters all the time. I’m strong too, right? I’m not worried about his power. This is my hometown, and I’m going to stay champion. The talk about his power is just going to make me fight harder.
“This is a real fight. This isn’t James Kirkland or Hugo Centeno Jr. You’re only as good as your last fight. There are levels to this and I’m going to show what level I’m on Saturday. If he’s that good and if his team has a game plan that no one else has used before, then I’ll accept it. But I’ve trained hard for this fight and I’m going to show it.”
Juan Macias Montiel
“I had an unbelievable training camp. It was the best camp of my entire career. It was very tough physically, but I feel great right now. We’ve worked hard to bring another world champion to Mexico.
“I plan to show everything we’ve worked on in training camp on Saturday night. We’ve worked on a variety of techniques and styles to use in this fight. I’m excited to show them in the ring.
“I was the underdog in the James Kirkland fight and everyone saw what happened. I wasn’t training the way I do now when I fought Hugo Centeno Jr. to a draw. I know that I have the best middleweight in front of me, so I knew that I had to train harder than ever for this fight.
“I believe that if he wants to trade punches with me, he’s going to be sorry that he chose that strategy.”