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‘A champion is defined by the adversity he overcomes’; the quote in white against a black background adorned an injured Jermell Charlo‘s pic post tweeted by ESPN Knockout.

During a sparring session at his Houston gym, Charlo injured his left hand in two places. As a result, it led to an indefinite postponement of the much looked-forward-to bout against the Australian Tim Tszyu on 28th January. The reigning champion took time to explain what happened and persisted that he could have continued the way things stood. However, notwithstanding his attempts to allay any foul play from his end, a few governing bodies, to all intents and purposes, do not intend to put the issue on the back burner.

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Jermell Charlo’s condition and rehab; WBO seeks information

Charlo mentioned seeing multiple specialists, including a hand specialist. It led to his hand tucked in a cast. Per the doctor’s review, removing the cast may take up to two months. Hand Surgery specialist, Dr. Vincent C Phan from Sugar Land, Texas, said, “…He has sustained a left scaphoid fracture and 5th metacarpal base fracture. He will be placed in a short arm cast at this time. It is my recommendation that Jermell should refrain from upper extremity training that involves impact for 2 months.”

Read More: ‘WBO Should Strip Him Now’: Despite Suffering Severe Hand Injury, Jermell Charlo Ripped Apart by Fans for Next Fight Postponement

In the meantime, Jermell Charlo received the governing body WBO’s notice on the back of medical reviews. The body handed him a Notice of Medical Certification requesting a full report on the injury. San Juan, Puerto Rico-based WBO’s founder-chairman Luis Batista Salas informed TGB Promotions, the promoters of the event, “Mr. Charlo is hereby ordered to submit within the next 5 days upon issuance of this notice a detailed medical explanation of his injury, findings, recovery prognosis, and his orthopedic specialist’s opinion as to when will he be physically and medically cleared to compete and return to active competition.”

Tszyu, the most formidable opponent to date against Jermell Charlo

On 21st May, Jermell consolidated his position in the division by knocking out the Argentine Brian Castano in their rematch. The thirty-two-year-old Louisiana native unified his WBO Light Middleweight title with WBA, WBC, and IBF titles. He etched his name in boxing history as the seventh person to become a four-belt undisputed champion. However, it also paved the way for a mandatory title defense: the foe, a formidable hard-hitter from The Down Under.

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Not best pleased, most fans suspect that the injury is a ploy Iron Man wants to utilize to avoid a face-off against Tim Tszyu.
Twenty-eight-year-old Tszyu is the son of former Kostya Tszyu, the former Light Welterweight champion of the world. Stepping into his father’s shoes, the junior Tszyu holds a formidable record of winning all the twenty-one bouts of his professional career. Fifteen were knockouts.

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