Former undisputed junior middleweight champion Jermell Charlo has a confirmed opponent for his long-awaited return. Charlo will face Australia’s Brock Jarvis in a 10-round middleweight bout on December 12 in the United States, December 13 locally, at Cbus Super Stadium on the Gold Coast. The matchup joins a card headlined by Erislandy Lara defending his WBA middleweight championship against Tim Tszyu. The promoter’s November 3 announcement gives Charlo a specific comeback assignment after earlier reports had only placed him on the event without a confirmed opponent.
Charlo, 36, has not fought since losing a decision to Canelo Alvarez in September 2023. The former 154-pound champion enters with a 35-2-1 record and 19 knockouts. Jarvis, a 28-year-old Australian, is 23-2 with 21 knockouts and will have the opportunity to upset a far more accomplished opponent on home soil. The bout is scheduled at 160 pounds rather than Charlo’s former championship division, making his condition after more than three years away an immediate storyline.
There is another layer to this matchup: Charlo and Tszyu were once scheduled to meet before their planned championship showdown fell apart. With Tszyu facing Lara atop the same card, victories by both men could revive interest in that unfinished rivalry. But no Charlo-Tszyu fight has been agreed, and Jarvis is not simply a placeholder. For now, the confirmed news is Charlo’s return against Jarvis on a major Australian stadium show.