Revealing the Battle: Jermall Charlo Opens Up About Mental Health Struggles
“Depression, self conflation, going from hot to cold really fast is shocking to you,” a prominent boxing champion has shared in an exclusive interview. “Dealing with all kinds of cases of bipolar, being by yourself, thinking that you shutting the world out is gonna help you. But you need to be able to speak to someone and help you get past whatever you’re going through.” The champion, known for his exceptional skills in the ring, has recently opened up about his long-standing battle with mental illness, shedding light on the struggles that have kept him away from the public eye for over two years.
Charlo Prepares for Return Fight
With a return fight this weekend against brash Jose Benavidez, Charlo appears willing to face opponents both in and out of the ring. “It just feels like everybody is against you,” Charlo said of his darker moments. “I don’t care if you’re in the Uber, a cab, wherever, everybody is just against you. Why I felt like this…I couldn’t tell that some people weren’t against me, it was just that at the moment it’s the way you’re feeling and I turned my back against pretty much the world. I just had to start getting help with it and it made me a lot better.”
Now fans are wondering if the undefeated Charlo will be able to get back into the ring without having to fight off a world class case of ring rust as well as the outspoken Benavidez. For his own part, Charlo feels in a good place mentally as well as physically heading into Saturday’s fight. “My patience,” he said, “has grown a lot more now…I’ve extended my hand to start helping more than I ever did. I’m starting to feel a lot better. Clear minded, I’m not trying to tailor things with drinking and alcohol abuse, or drugs, or just being so obnoxious and things like that.”
It seems, then, like it will be a new Charlo who enters the ring on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Whether or not the new Charlo will have the prowess of the Charlo who stepped away from the action with a 32-0 record remains to be seen. Perhaps, though, such things ultimately aren’t that important to the 33 year old Texan.
"Patience is a skill I had to acquire," he expressed. "During my two-year hiatus, I grasped the importance of patience and gratitude. Now, I'm back. I've learned how to take better care of my mental and physical well-being. I feel like I'm in my prime again, both mentally and physically."
Charlo-Benavidez will feature as part of the undercard for the Demetrius Andrade-David Benavidez fight, which will be available for live viewing on Showtime Pay Per View this Saturday.
