Jermell Charlo vacates IBF title, Bakhram Murtazaliev vs. Jack Culcay eyed for vacant belt

Jermell Charlo has not enjoyed the best 2023. He returned after more than a year away from the squared circle to face Mexican boxing legend, Canelo Álvarez. Unfortunately, what he hoped would be his signature career win turned out to be a unanimous decision loss that saw Charlo look uncharacteristically timid.

His decision to face Canelo Álvarez instead of WBO number-one contender Tim Tszyu, led to the WBO stripping Jermell Charlo of his WBO light-middleweight title. Now, according to a tweet from renowned boxing reporter Michael Benson, the younger Charlo brother has also vacated his IBF super-welterweight title.

While the exact details behind his decision-making, whether he was under threat of being stripped or is moving up in weight, remain murky, it marks a difficult end to Jermell Charlo's 2023 campaign. Now, his vacant title will be contested by Bakhram Murtazaliev and Jack Culcay in an upcoming matchup.

It is a curious decision, given Charlo's hyper-competitive nature, which even sparked a feud between him and his twin brother, Jermall Charlo. Their feud was markedly different from how other siblings in boxing have conducted themselves, with the highest-profile example being the Klitschko brothers.

What Charlo's plans are moving forward will be anyone's guess, but at 33 years old, he still has plenty to offer the sport, especially if he is moving up in weight. Meanwhile, Charlo's brother hasn't fought since June 19, 2021, with many wondering if he'll ever return to the sport.

Furthermore, Jermall Charlo is who fans wanted to see take on Canelo Álvarez, instead of his brother.

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How many losses does Jermell Charlo have?

While his twin brother is an undefeated boxer, Jermell Charlo has not had that luxury since a 2018 loss to Tony Harrison, who defeated him via unanimous decision. While Charlo managed to avenge his loss a year later, TKO'ing Harrison in the 11th round of a 12-round contest, he has another loss on his record.

He recently took on Canelo Álvarez in a losing effort, and is yet to earn another crack at avenging his second loss, which brings his boxing record to 35-2-1 due to a draw he had with Brian Castaño, before managing to knock him out a fight later.