Jermell Charlo Stripped By The WBA & Reclassified As "Champion In Recess.'

Content & Photo- Jose "Camachito" Rivera.

The first four-belt undisputed junior middleweight champion stripped by WBA and reclassified.

Jermell Charlo, who became the first four-belt undisputed junior middleweight champion when he knocked out Brian Castano in the 10th round to unify the division in May 2022 in a rematch of their draw, never defended the undisputed crown. And now he no longer has any of them.

Charlo, who remains the lineal champion, was stripped of the WBA title and reclassified as its “champion in recess” on Thursday following a vote by its championship committee, WBA president Gilberto Mendoza told Fight Freaks Unite. The result wasThe WBA reclassified him for the same reason the WBC also recently did: Charlo’s last fight was at 168 pounds, he has not made it clear if he will ever fight again 154, and he is also sidelined while dealing with legal issues.

The title will be filled by the winner of a bout already scheduled between WBA top contenders Israil Madrimov and Magomed Kurbanov, whose fight was recently added to the undercard of the Anthony Joshua-Francis Ngannou pay-per-view card on March 8 (PPV.com) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with their teams anticipating the WBA’s decision.One of the conditions of the WBA sanctioning Madrimov (9-0-1, 6 KOs), 29, of Uzbekistan, against Kurbanov (25-0, 13 KOs), 28, of Russia, for the title is that the winner is obligated to defend against Charlo when he returns (if he wants the title opportunity).