By Jake Donovan

Had things worked out the way they were originally scheduled, Jermell Charlo could either be at this very moment, a 154 lb. titlist or on the rebound from having fallen short of such a goal. 

The unbeaten boxer from Houston was in line to face undefeated junior middleweight titlist Demetrius Andrade last December. The fight fell through when Andrade decided the opportunity—for which he was due to earn $400,000—wasn't what he needed at the time, given surrounding circumstances among his team.

Charlo—whose twin brother Jermall (20-0, 16KOs) is also a top junior middleweight contender—didn't stress over it, instead taking a stay-busy fight deep on the undercard of a Showtime broadcast topped by Amir Khan's 12-round win over Devon Alexander. The rising contender continues to move forward with his career, facing Vanes Martirosyan in a scheduled 10-round bout this weekend in Las Vegas (Saturday, SHOWTIME, 10:00pm ET). 

The bout serves as the chief support to Jhonny Gonzalez' featherweight title defense versus Gary Russell, Jr. Unlike the main event, there is no belt at stake in this bout nor the guarantee of a title shot for the winner. 

There existed the opportunity for Charlo to instead revisit the previously agreed upon deal with Andrade, as there were talks of the fight resurfacing on the spring schedule. Instead, he soldiers on in a fight where the risk potentially outweighs the reward. 

"I feel that this is a tough fight. Every fight is a fight for my life, nd I step in the ring and make sure that I fight with that on the back of my mind," reveals Charlo (25-0, 11KOs). "Vanes is a great fighter—I grew up with him. I know what I bring to the table. And this fight is a fight for manhood.

"It's a fight to show who the real tycoon of the sport is in the 154 pound weight division.  There’s a lot at stake, so it's more than a title fight to me."

The two used to train together during a period when Martirosyan relocated to Houston a few years ago, enlisting the services of Ronnie Shields, who trains the Charlo twins among others. The fact that they are familiar with one another yet still willing to run towards the sound of gun fire makes the risk all the more admirable, something Charlo believes outweighs the symbol of an alphabet belt around his waist.

"You know, winning this fight to me—a world title would be ideal. A world title is important.  I want to fight for a world title. I want the world title," acknowledges Charlo, though with a disclaimer. "That's every boxer's dream and envision whenever they're young. 

"Fighting for the world title matters and all this extra stuff, but if I'm here building my name and building my brand, that's just as important. Being a household name...that matters to me."

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of krikya360.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox