Jermall Charlo either had a healthy helping of food during Thanksgiving week or his lack of preparation following a 29-month layoff contributed to him missing weight Friday for his Saturday night bout against Jose Benavidez Jr.

The 160-pound WBC champion Charlo called to negotiate a 163-pound catchweight bout against Benavidez but ended up weighing 166.4 pounds on Friday for the non-title tilt. Benavidez weighed in at a fight-ready 161.2 pounds.

Despite blowing weight, a deal was negotiated for the fight to go on. 

The 33-year-old Charlo (32-0, 22 KOs) has been sidelined since June 2021 and has also been battling mental health issues. 

When Charlo was asked if he really had a three-week camp to prepare for Benavidez, he told BoxingScene.com and other media earlier this week, "Yeah. I've been training since I've been gone. So I've been training. But whenever you call camp 'a camp' like when camp really formed and became camp, it was like, yeah, a couple of weeks. I don’t need a whole bunch. What more can I learn besides sharpening up? For this fight, I’m OK being a little rough around the edges. 

"I'm not really focused on what he does. I know what I am capable of doing. I'm going to get in there and just be the best Jermall Charlo that I can be. Fast as I can be. Throw punches strong and fast, make the moves at the right time ... you'll still get the full 100% percent Charlo.”

The Ronnie Shields-trained Charlo is promising full effort in the ring, but the same could not be said for his weight-making ability. As Charlo prepared for his comeback, he also linked up with Hall of Fame fighter Roy Jones Jr. for some pointers and coaching.

"It feels good to be back,” said Charlo. “I'm super excited, super anxious and super ready. I miss boxing. I miss you guys. I miss the lights. I miss everything about it. Hopefully, ya'll get to see the fourth quarter, the clutch, the real deal part of Jermall Charlo. I apologize for my absence."

The unapologetic Benavidez was not fond of Charlo’s unprofessionalism on the scale. 

“He’s a little b!tch that’s not dedicated, that’s all there is. I’m going to f--- him up,” said Benavidez. 

Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer, and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com, or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com.