The Lion’s New Prey: Jermell Charlo’s Comeback Callouts Target Crawford, Ennis, And More

Jermell Charlo continued with his shotgun approach of callouts today, adding Terence Crawford, Vergil Ortiz Jr. and Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis to his growing list of fighters that he’s interested in fighting in his comeback.

A Comeback with AI Art

In each of the four callouts, the former undisputed junior middleweight champion Charlo (35-2-1, 19 KOs) has posted an AI-generated image to let his followers know who he wants to fight. Jermell hasn’t fought since losing to Canelo Alvarez by a 12-round unanimous decision on September 30, 2023.

Jermell’s Callouts Since Monday

• Sebastian Fundora (August 25): An AI image of a lion with a giraffe’s neck in its mouth.
• Errol Spence (August 26): This one had an AI image of a lion biting a shark, and the words, “No friends in the industry. Fight date coming.” The two fighters shared the same gym and trainer, Derrick James, in Dallas, Texas. It’s a signal that Jermell plans on fighting his former gymmate Spence, both of whom have been inactive since 2023.
• Terence Crawford (August 27): An AI image of a lion smoking a cigar with the word ‘Bud’ on it. On the ground next to the lion is a pack of cigars with “Omaha” on it, which is Crawford’s hometown in Nebraska.
• Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis (August 27): An AI image of a lion with a boot partially in its mouth, and paws on the boot.
• Vergil Ortiz Jr. (August 27): In this AI-generated image, a lion is biting into an ox with Ortiz’s name on its head.

The Shotgun Callout Strategy

Jermell’s shotgun approach to his callouts is his way of throwing a wide net out to see which one of the four big names he can capture. It’s similar to fishing, but with the net, it ensures that he’ll land one big fish for a lucrative payday.

Charlo hasn’t said what his purse expectations are for these fights. He’s likely heard about the big purses fighters are getting on Turki Alalshikh’s Riyadh Season events, which have made a handful of boxers quite rich. These are just a small number of fighters that Turki has made wealthy by fighting on his card:

– Anthony Joshua
– Oleksandr Usyk
– Ryan Garcia
– Devin Haney
– Teofimo Lopez
– Tyson Fury