WBC Interim titlist Jermall ‘Hit-Man’ Charlo (28 – 0 – 0, 21KO) in the main event wins what was a highly contested, entertaining fight against late replacement Matt Korobov (28 – 2 – 0, 14KO).
Jermall early on seemed to be a little rattled and taken off his game by what happened to his twin brother Jermell Charlo in losing his title by questionable decision, and came into the fight lethargic. While he was trying to find his groove, Korobov came in very sharp, giving Jermall different angles and finding multiple opportunities to fire the straight left hand from the southpaw position, and countering Charlo every chance he could find.
Charlo was a little taken back by Korobov’s shifty upper body movement, and felt the need to make some adjustments around round 5, which he did in changing his tactics, utilizing his footwork and being more careful about the distribution of his right hand, making him a little more difficult for Korobov to time.
Korobov started to slightly slow down from about round 8 and on, but that was expected for a man who had to lose roughly 8 lbs. in 6 days, taking the fight on short notice. Charlo grabbed command of the fight late, but Korobov was still a very game combatant at that point.
As it got to the 12th round, what took place earlier must’ve stuck in the back of Charlo’s head to know that nothing is safe going to the scorecards, so he put his foot on the gas-pedal, and pressed the action, hurting Korobov a couple times with scintillating right hands, in pursuit of the knockout. While the knockout didn’t come, with the fight getting to the final bell, that was a dominant display down the stretch that you could easily score 10 – 8, for some type of insurance on the cards.
As the scorecards were read, they awarded it to the correct man, with Jermall winning by unanimous decision. Larry Hazard Jr’s scorecard of 119 – 108 was completely out of bounds, which further calls into question the credibility of judges lately, as we have seen a barrage of shaky scorecards throughout all of 2018, but Jermall fought a tough fight, adjusted, and did what he had to do to secure the victory.
The Combat Project’s Score= 116 – 111 Jermall Charlo.
