Boxing: Jermell Charlo to Fight Joachim Alcine on Oct. 31 in Houston

Undefeated junior middleweight contender Jermell Charlo is set to take the next big step in his career when faces former world champion Joachim Alcine. The duel will take place Oct. 31 at NRG Arena in Charlo’s hometown of Houston, Texas, and will headline a Premier Boxing Champions on NBCSN card.

Charlo (26-0, 11 KOs) is looking to follow his older brother Jermall in winning a world title. The next step is against Alcine, who won the WBA junior middleweight title back in 2007. Charlo has looked superb since stepping up his level of opposition and silencing some of his critics. He’s coming off a dominant performance against Vanes Martirosyan in March, where Charlo won a unanimous 10-round decision. Alcine will be one of the most experienced fighters he’ll have faced up to this point, but Charlo doesn’t seem too fazed by it.

“This is a good fight against a former world champion,” Charlo stated in a press release. “He’s experienced and he’s been in the ring with multiple world champions. I’m not taking anything away from him, but Houston is my town. I’ve been anticipating another fight here. I’m ready to go and I’m going to put on a great show.”

Alcine (35-7-2, 21 KOs) defended his world title once before losing it to Daniel Santos via knockout in 2008. He’s had several ups and downs since then, but he’s taken on a plethora of top-level opposition. He holds a 12-round decision over David Lemieux and a draw with Delvin Rodriguez, but he’s also lost to the likes of Julian Williams, Matthew Macklin, Alfredo Angulo and Omar Chavez. He hopes to score the upset against Charlo, who will be the heavy favorite going in.

“I am so excited for this opportunity to compete against a young, strong fighter like Jermell Charlo,” said Alcine. “I don't think he’s faced a fighter with my level of experience in big fights. I am not going to make it easy for him. I am going to challenge Charlo like he never has been before.” Also slated to fight on the card is junior middleweight prospect Tony Harrison (21-1, 18 KOs), who is looking to bounce back from a loss to Willie Nelson when he squares off against Cecil McCalla (20-2, 7 KOs). Like Harrison, McCalla is coming off a loss; he dropped a decision to Ishe Smith in April.