Last year, Jermell Charlo’s creativity sparked considerable buzz. He posted online images of a lion eating a shark. To explain the context, Charlo is nicknamed the “Lion,” while shark is the “Big Fish,” the moniker used by Errol Spence Jr. Months have passed since the image first caught the public eye. While Charlo tried a unique way of calling out his former stablemate, nothing developed from it. Now, as the former undisputed champion tries to rebuild his career, Spence Jr. does not even seem to be a viable option for a comeback fight. Charlo suspects the former welterweight champion could be avoiding him.

“But Errol Spence, we are not friends now. Yeah. We’re making each other friends,” he told Naji Chill, outlining where their relationship currently stands. “If you want mine, what I’m going to hold, you are going to have to fight for it.”

Given they trained for a long time under award-winning trainer Derrick James, Jermell Charlo emphasized the need for clarity in his terms with Spence Jr. With the burden of fighting a “friend” no longer weighing on him, Charlo now views Spence Jr. more as a rival than a friend who must fight to return to the title race.

By that account, they are now out of talks for a Spence fight. When he said so, Naji initially thought he was referring to a fight “offer.” But that was not the case, as Charlo explained they are no longer anticipating a matchup against the former unified champion. Instead, they are focusing on fights with opponents who show interest.

Charlo’s latest comments follow his comeback attempt this past August. Both he and Errol Spence Jr. suffered career-defining losses in 2023 and have yet to return to the ring. Spence suffered a knockout loss to Terence Crawford, and months later in September, Canelo handed Charlo his second career loss.

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Given that Spence’s first move after the defeat was to step up to the 154-pound division, where Charlo previously held the undisputed championship, a matchup appeared realistic. Reports of Charlo resuming training, combined with the lion-shark social media imagery, heightened anticipation.

Later, in a video message, Charlo said, “I honestly think Errol Spence is a good fight…I like Errol Spence…I don’t have any issue with Errol Spence.”

Errol Spence responds to Jermell Charlo callout with his version

Even before Spence addressed the situation directly, the talks had already cooled after briefly surfacing. After Charlo’s online rant spread widely, Spence Jr.’s cousin responded. Suggesting Charlo might be overreaching, he claimed Spence would inflict more damage than Canelo did on Charlo.

After Charlo’s latest comments gained traction, however, Spence responded personally.

As reports increasingly point to an imminent comeback, with a potential matchup against former champion Tim Tszyu taking shape, Spence Jr. believes Charlo’s latest rant reflects desperation to return to contention.

“I mean, Canelo is gone. Terence is gone. So, you know who else he (Jermell) is going to get a big payday from? That’s the only reason he called me out,” he said in an interview with Fight Hype, adding that their sparring session at Derrick James’ gym offered a preview of how a real fight might unfold. “Everybody knows how the sparring went. His coach knows how the sparring went; everybody in the gym knows how the sparring went. Hey, man, he wants some money.”

To many fans, Spence’s comments appear more realistic than those made by Charlo. He needs a fight that matches his former status as undisputed champion. Charlo may have called out Boots Ennis, but that seems unlikely for now. Things may take shape after Spence and Tszyu’s fight takes place. If he gets back in the win column, Spence could circle back to Charlo’s callout.