Jermall Charlo was relieved of his WBC middleweight title, as his next bouts will take place in the courtroom.
The now former two-division titleholder was arrested Monday evening on three misdemeanor counts related to a car crash in Brazoria County, Texas. Charlo was booked on Tuesday and charged with Driving While Intoxicated, Fleeing or Attempting to Elude Police Officer and Collision Involving Damage to Vehicle Exceeding $200.
Three separate surety bonds totaling $9,500 were posted for Charlo, who was released from custody later that day.
According to a Pearland Police Department arrest report obtained by The Ring, Charlo crashed his Lamborghini Urus while intoxicated.
The accident took place Monday evening at around 6:41 p.m., after which Charlo and the other driver began to argue. left the scene before police arrived. His alleged movements led to a police chase for roughly one mile before he was boxed in by authorities.
Charlo was placed under arrest and subsequently given a sobriety test. According to the police report, Charlo’s blood alcohol content (BAC) was greater than 0.15 percent. The legal limit is 0.08 percent in Texas, as well as most other states.
News of the incident broke Tuesday, which prompted the WBC to finally take long overdue action.
Charlo (33-0, 22 knockouts) was upgraded to full WBC middleweight titleholder in 2019 but has produced a dormant title reign.
Just three defenses have followed, none since June 2021. The lone fight to take place in that span came last November well above the middleweight limit. Charlo outpointed Jose Benavidez Jr. over ten rounds but was 3.4 pounds over the 163-pound contract limit.
The latest news cycle was enough for the WBC to strip him of the belt and elevate Carlos Adames from interim title status.
“The WBC has provided and will continue to do as much as possible to support Jermall Charlo during his difficult times with regards to Mental Wellness,” the sanctioning body noted in an official statement. “The WBC Board of Governors has decided to confirm Carlos Adames as the WBC reigning middleweight champion as he is being elevated from interim champion to WBC World Champion.
“The WBC will closely work with PBC in securing the best course of action to attend to Jermall needs at this moment in time. After a thorough evaluation of the situation and understanding of the facts and times the WBC may rank Jermall [at super middleweight].”
Charlo still faces far greater issues.
The incident from Monday could leave Charlo in violation of the bond conditions from a previous arrest in April. According to an April 16 arrest report obtained by The Ring, Charlo was charged with Assault Causing Bodily Injury to a Family member and Driving With a Previously Suspended License.
Charlo was freed on $15,500 bond. Stipulated among the 12 Conditions of Bond, Charlo “shall commit no offense against the law of this or any other State.”
The initial assault charge was amended by Magistrate’s Order and upgraded to Injury to a Child with Intention To Cause Bodily Harm, a third-degree felony in the state of Texas.
Charlo is scheduled to appear in court on May 20 for the alleged incident in April. The case is classified as an Unindicted Filing with the 240th District Court of Fort Bend County.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for The Ring and vice president of the Boxing Writers Association of America.
