WBC Strips Jermall Charlo of Middleweight Title After Red Lamborghini DUI Car Crash, Elevates Carlos Adames to Full Champion

By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent

Houston, Texas, (May 11th, 2024)– Carlos Adames of the Dominican Republic is the new full World Boxing Council World Middleweight champion on his thirtieth birthday. Adames, 23-1 with 18 knockouts, Washington Heights, New York, by way of Comendador, Dominican Republic, who won the interim WBC World Middleweight title in October 2022 by stopping Juan Macias Montiel, then defended it with a controversial stoppage of Julian Williams in June 2023, has been upgraded from interim to complete champion by WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman.

This occurred when rarely seen WBC World Middleweight champion Jermall Charlo, 33-0 with 22 knockouts, Houston, Texas, who last defended his title by 12 round decision over Montiel in June 2021, and who last appeared at super middleweight by winning a 10 round decision over Jose Benavidez Jr. in Las Vegas in November 2023, got arrested again.

Charlo was arrested in Texas earlier this week, this time on suspicion of DUI driving under the influence while intoxicated over the legal limit, then fleeing the scene of a car crash involving his red Lamborghini. According to ESPN, Charlo’s tested blood alcohol content was 0.15, over the Texas legal limit of 0.8. Charlo was booked and then release by the Pearland Police Department in Brazoria County, Texas, on $9500 bond.

Charlo was previously arrested for misdemeanor assault of a family member in Fort Bend, Texas, in December 2023. The victim of the alleged assault was not named. According to court records in Fort Bend, Charlo’s wife Chyanne Westbrook Charlo, filed for a temporary restraining order along with a separation and divorce from Charlo in the 328th District Court. Their children are mentioned in the docket. The final disposition of that case is not known.

According to the new Pearland police report, Charlo, age 33, was driving his red Lamborghini on Monday, May 6, 2024, at 6:41 P.M., when he hit another vehicle. An argument ensued with the other driver. Charlo left the scene rather than waiting for police. However, a police car identified his car and followed him for approximately one mile with his police car lights activated. The police chase ended when another police car pulled in front of Charlo as he attempted to run a red light, forcing Charlo to stop. Charlo was transported to Brazoria County Jail after undergoing blood alcohol sobriety tests at the City of Pearland jail. It was determined Charlo had lost normal use of his mental and physical faculties. Charlo is represented by Texas attorney Kent Schaeffer.

Immediate chatter has Carlos Adames as a possible future candidate to fight Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez. Zhanibek Alimkhanuly, 15-0, 10 knockouts, Oxnard, California by way of Kazakhstan, the International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Organisation World Middleweight champion, is interested in unifying the belts against Adames on a proposed July 13, 2024 date at The Palms resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, though no deal has been negotiated by Premier Boxing champions, the promoter of Adames, as Adames has only just been elevated to full champion status.

Though press releases state Adames is the fourth world champion form the Dominican Republic, BoxRec identifies 25 former world champions as coming from the Dominican Republic. Julio Cesar Green, 27-6-1 with 19 19 knockouts, Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic, held the World Boxing Association World Middleweight title from 1997-1998. Green won the first of his three titular bouts with William Joppy by 12 round decision at Madison Square Garden in August 1997, and ultimately figured into six world title bouts at 154, 160 and 168 pounds, the most by a Dominican fighter in these divisions. The rarely seen Cuban southpaw Erislandy Lara, 30-3-3 with 18 knockouts, currently holds the World Boxing Association World Middleweight title, and has been seen in the ring only once in the past two years, most recently defending the WBA belt with a second round knockout of Michael Zerafa in Las Vegas this past March.

The middleweight belts overall have not had much movement in recent years, primarily due to the legal troubles of Charlo, and the reluctance of fighters in the middleweight division to fighter either contender Jaime Munguia or ex-champion Gennadiy Golovkin. Etinosa Oliha, 20-0 with eight knockouts, Asti, Piemonte, Italy, who has not fought outside of Europe, holds the International Boxing Organisation World Middleweight title.

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