Jermall Charlo Deinied Visa To Australia- Fight Off

Former two-division world champion Jermall Charlo is off next weekend’s Premier Boxing Champions card in Sydney, Australia after the government denied his work visa to enter the country. That resulted Friday in the cancellation of his scheduled 10 round super middleweight bout against Koen Mazoudier.

That fight was to have happened on the undercard of the Tim Tszyu- Errol Spence pay-per-view event, which takes place July 26th at Sydney’s Afterpay Arena (Saturday night July 25th in U.S.).

Aussie promotion No Limit Boxing confirmed Friday that Charlo’s fight has been canceled, while the rest of the card is proceeding as planned.

“Unfortunately, I will not be able to fight next Saturday,” Charlo wrote on social media Friday after the announced cancellation. “I’ve been training nonstop for the last three months and was ready to make a statement. I want to apologize to all my fans and let them know I will keep training and be back on a PBC event very soon.”

In another post, Charlo described the situation as - “out of my control. I will stay focused and locked in. PBC will update you soon.”

Insider Dan Rafael spoke to Tom Brown, president of TGB Promotions, for his Fight Freaks Unite Substack and Brown accepted responsibility for the situation.

“I’ve been in this business a long time, and this one’s on me,” Brown told Fight Freaks Unite. “I know how strict Australia’s visa process is and I overlooked it in the excitement of getting Jermall back. We’ll move on, make the most of this camp, and get him back in the ring as soon as possible.”

Brown further said the plan is to reschedule Charlo, 34-0, 23 KOs, for a PBC on DAZN event as early as September.

Spence. and another two-division champion, Stephen Fulton, have both already arrived in Australia from the United States. Charlo, however, never made the trip after his visa application was denied because of his prior legal issues. Australia has strict entry requirements for travelers with criminal records.

The setback delays the 35 year old Charlo’s long-awaited return after a career disrupted by legal and mental health challenges. The unbeaten Houston native has fought only twice since 2021. He had held the WBC middleweight crown after winning the full title over American Brandon Adams in 2019 and defended it three times before finally being stripped in 2024.

It would have been Charlo's first appearance in 14 months against the Australian  Mazoudier (15-4-1, 6 KOs). No Limit Boxing was attempting to find another opponent for Mazoudier for next weekend, but it's unclear if he will stay on the undercard or not?