Errol Spence Jr. isn’t reading much into Jermell Charlo mentioning his name. To Spence, it isn’t personal, competitive, or even nostalgic. It’s financial.
Charlo has been inactive for almost three years since his one sided loss to Canelo Alvarez in September 2023. During that stretch, the market moved on. The fights that once made sense for Charlo stopped existing, and the leverage that came with being undisputed at 154 faded while he stayed out of the ring.
Spence laid it out bluntly when asked about Charlo calling him out. With Terence Crawford no longer in play and Alvarez long gone from the picture, the list of names that can still generate a large check is short. In Spence’s view, his own name is one of the last ones left.
Spence’s Read on the Callout
“Canelo is gone. Terence is gone. So who is he going to get a big payday from?” Spence said to FightHype. “That’s the only reason he’s calling me out.”
Spence also brushed off the idea that there’s unfinished business between them. The two shared rounds in the gym years ago under trainer Derrick James, and Spence suggested the results of those sessions are already well known inside that circle. From his side, there’s no mystery to revisit.
The larger issue for Charlo is timing. Younger fighters now control the divisions he once ruled, and he no longer gets to dictate terms. Names like Jaron Ennis and Vergil Ortiz Jr. don’t need him, and they aren’t waiting.
Spence, inactive himself since his loss to Crawford in 2023, didn’t sell the idea as something fans are demanding. His point was simpler: Charlo isn’t chasing the best option, only the last meaningful check available.
From the outside, the callout reads less like ambition and more like necessity. Charlo’s window as a negotiating equal has closed, and fights are no longer coming to him by default. Calling out Spence isn’t about settling scores. It’s about finding relevance before the market fully forgets him.
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Last Updated on 02/08/2026
