Mulling over Retirement, Jermall Charlo Receives Unexpected Support From Bitter Rival Caleb Plant

The beauty of boxing lies in its transformative power. Boxers who step in the square circle with animosity on their minds often step out of it with newfound respect for each other. However, in Jermall Charlo and Caleb Plant’s case, things didn’t even have to come down to a fight. Of late, the former IBF super middleweight champion responded to Charlo’s apology! Why?

The thing is, last year during the weigh-ins for the Terence Crawford vs. Errol Spence Jr. fight, ‘Hit Man’ Charlo and ‘Sweethands’ Plant came to blows backstage. Apparently, Charlo was pulling on Plant’s beard, so Plant slapped the WBC middleweight champion. However, during an Instagram live session, ‘The Future of Boxing’ apologized for his actions while contemplating retirement, which prompted a plea of support from Caleb Plant on social media today! 

Inside the Jermall Charlo – Caleb Plant apology! 

Turning to Instagram, Plant shared a clip from Charlo’s Instagram live session. In the clip, Charlo can be seen apologizing to Plant, saying, “I ain’t mad at you dog. You got your lick back. I was pulling on your beard. That’s my fault.” In response, Plant captioned his post with, “Honestly, it’s all good bro. I appreciate the apology. I’m not your enemy anymore…”

Turning to the part where Charlo was seriously contemplating his retirement from the sport, Plant suggested, “I see what’s going on, handle that and we can circle back. Don’t retire. ima set my sights on another big fight.” ‘Hit Man’ Charlo has been struggling with mental health issues, which limited him from entering the ring in the past.

For starters, Charlo only fought once in 2020 and 2021, not to forget, he skipped out on 2022 entirely. Even during his last fight against Jose Benavidez, his metal health crisis became a major talking point among the masses. So, with a spotty resume and serious concerns, Charlo’s retirement worries seemed unfortunate but necessary. 

Regardless, the bigger question is, should Jermall Charlo have forgiven Plant for the slap? According to this UFC headliner, never in a million years!

Irish mixed martial artist on Jermall Charlo getting slapped

After the incident transpired, many in the community were left shell-shocked by the incident, calling for an immediate fight between the two. Even Jermall’s brother, Jermell Charlo, suggested ‘Hit Man’ should fight him. While the fight never happened, Conor McGregor was unhappy about how Plant was allowed to leave from the venue after slapping Charlo.

In a tweet dated July 29, 2023, ‘The Notorious’ wrote, “Get right back here this second, sir, you’re going nowhere till we settle this dispute here and now. Wtf is going on there? Clean cracked and lets him walk out? No. Nope. Nah. Not a f****n hope.” Moreover, the incident made headlines for weeks, but no update came till this year when Charlo apologized to Plant. 

Charlo’s decision on retirement doesn’t seem to be etched on stone, if could secure a fight against Canelo Alvarez to avenge his brother’s loss, fans might get to see him in the ring again. Meanwhile, Jermall Charlo and Caleb Plant putting their beef aside is a step in the right direction. What do you think about Charlo’s retirement?