WBC middleweight champion Jermall Charlo was arrested following a traffic collision Monday in Pearland, Texas, booked on suspicion of three misdemeanor counts (driving while intoxicated, fleeing a police officer and leaving the scene of a crash), according to news reports.
BoxingScene reached out to Charlo’s Houston area attorney and WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman, who did not immediately return messages.
After being rejected months ago as the Saturday opponent for undisputed super middleweight champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, Charlo (33-0, 22 KOs) has now resumed a career spiral that included just one title defense over a three-year period.
Charlo has told reporters he struggled with depression during the layoff.
The twin brother of Jermell Charlo – the former undisputed junior middleweight champion – Jermall Charlo, 33, weighed in over an agreed-upon catchweight limit beyond the 160-pound middleweight limit before defeating Jose Benavidez Jr. by unanimous decision Nov. 25 in Las Vegas.
Amid incessant calls for the WBC to strip Jermall Charlo of his belt for inactivity, WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman has held firm on Charlo as his sanctioning body’s champion.
In Monday’s crash, Charlo was reportedly in a red Lamborghini that collided with another vehicle. TMZ reported that the drivers argued and Charlo left the scene in his vehicle before being apprehended at a red light approximately one mile away.