Errol Spence Jr. will make his return to the ring on July 25, three years after his last fight with Terence Crawford. The former unified welterweight champion headlines a card scheduled at the Afterpay Arena in Sydney, Australia, alongside Tim Tszyu. The event, promoted by Al Haymon’s PBC, featured fellow PBC fighter and stablemate Jermall Charlo in the co-main event and Stephen Fulton on the main card.

However, with just a week remaining before the Amazon Prime event, it has hit a major snag. Concerns emerged after reports indicated that both Jermall Charlo and Stephen Fulton were left stranded in the United States due to visa issues. Errol Spence Jr. and trainer Ronnie Shields had already reached Sydney. Now, the latest development reveals that Fulton has been cleared for his fight, while Charlo’s fight against Koen Mazoudier has been cancelled.

“Unfortunately, I will not be able to fight next Saturday,” Charlo confirmed on his Instagram story. “I’ve been training non-stop 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.”

Charlo’s frustration stems from the issues surrounding his visa approval. According to a representative of No Limit Boxing, which co-promotes the event, neither Charlo nor Fulton was able to depart from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

A subsequent update, however, revealed that Fulton’s travel had been approved by the Aussie goverment, and he subsequently landed in Sydney yesterday. A former two-division champion like Charlo, the Philadelphia native faces Liam Wilson in a ten-round bout.

Until the very end, trainer Ronnie Shields, who also trains Spence Jr., remained hopeful that Charlo would be allowed to make the trip. He told The Punch Podcast that the former middleweight champion would likely arrive either “tomorrow or the next day.”

That is not going to happen now. While Charlo himself or the organizers are yet to share full details on why the Australian authorities did not approve the fighter’s visa, veteran journalist Dan Rafael’s recent post points to the likely reasons behind the move.

“Per source, PBC/TGB officials do not believe Jermall Charlo will be granted a visa to travel to Australia in time for his scheduled fight next Saturday on the #SpenceTszyu undercard. Charlo was to have traveled earlier this week, but because of past legal issues, his visa has been held up,” Rafael wrote.

Charlo’s Instagram story also appears to align with Rafael’s message. Giving a thumbs down to the Australian government, he wrote, “Out of my control…I will stay focused and locked in. Premier Boxing (PBC) will update you soon.”

From bar disputes and robbery to felony assault charges, Charlo has faced a string of legal problems that have coincided with a career marred by long absences.

Jermall Charlo: Legal baggage, visa trouble, and another setback

The most recent case involved his arrest for driving while intoxicated (DWI) after his Lamborghini Urus was involved in a collision that caused damage, and after he left the scene. Charlo reportedly pleaded guilty to one count of DWI and one count of collision involving damage and was subsequently sentenced to three days in county jail. He was also fined and had his driver’s license suspended.

The incident also has consequences for his professional career. A day after Charlo’s arrest, the WBC stripped him of his middleweight title and elevated Carlos Adames to full championship status. While the timing closely followed the arrest, the sanctioning body indicated that its decision reflected both the incident and Charlo’s prolonged inactivity as a titleholder.

That history now appears to be a major hindrance, given the Australian government’s reported insistence on a temporary visa requirement, particularly its “character test.”

Past cases support that view. The most notable example occurred in 2022, when the three-division champion Devin Haney traveled to Australia for his undisputed lightweight title fight with George Kambosos Jr.

Reports suggest that the authorities initially did not approve the visa request for Devin’s father and manager, Bill Haney. The move reportedly centered on Haney Sr.’s 1992 conviction for a drug case.

A more recent boxing case points in the same direction. Early this month, WBO’s top-ranked lightweight contender Joe Cordina was supposed to face champion Abdullah Mason in his first title defense. However, the fight, scheduled at the CSU Wolstein Center in Cleveland, Ohio, had to be cancelled after the Welshman was denied permission to travel to the United States, reportedly due to an assault case.

Against that backdrop, it’s important to understand how the latest incident impacts Charlo’s career.

The Texas native was coming off a 12-month layoff after the knockout win over Thomas LaManna, which secured him the vacant WBA Continental Americas Super Middleweight title. That victory, which came eighteen months after his last bout against Jose Benavidez Jr., placed him among the super middleweight’s top-ranked contenders.

While he was supposed to face an unheralded fighter in Koen Mazoudier, a win could have elevated his status and brought him closer to a title shot in a division that currently finds itself in flux.

With the fight now cancelled, Charlo, who turned 36 on May 19 and is possibly on the final stretch of his career, is once again searching for an opportunity to re-enter the title picture. What he needs now is an immediate matchup that puts him back in the race.