SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® – 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on SHOWTIME

Undisputed WBO Junior Middleweight World Championship – 12 Rounds

Jermell Charlo – 153 lbs.

Brian Castaño – 153 ¼ lbs.

Referee: Hector Afu; Judges: Tim Cheatham (Nev.), Nelson Vazquez (P.R.), Steve Weisfeld (N.J.)

ABOUT CHARLO VS. CASTAÑO

Charlo vs. Castaño will see unified WBC, WBA and IBF World Champion Jermell Charlo and WBO World Champion Brian Castaño battle for undisputed status at super welterweight as all four 154-pound belts hang in the balance for the first time in history on Saturday, July 17 live on SHOWTIME from AT&T Center in San Antonio in a Premier Boxing Champions event.

SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and will also feature unbeaten Interim WBA Lightweight Champion Rolando “Rolly” Romero taking on lightweight contender Anthony Yigit in the co-main event, plus unbeaten middleweight Amilcar Vidal matching up against veteran contender Immanuwel Aleem in a 10-round bout that opens the telecast.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by Lions Only Promotions and TGB Promotions, are on sale now and can be purchased through www.attcenter.com. Romero vs. Yigit is co-promoted with Mayweather Promotions.

For more information visit www.SHO.com/sports, www.PremierBoxingChampions.com, follow on Twitter @ShowtimeBoxing, @PremierBoxing and @TGBPromotions on Instagram @ShowtimeBoxing, @PremierBoxing and @TGBPromotions or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOBoxing.

Unified world champion Jermell Charlo and WBO world champion Brian Castaño met face-to-face on Thursday at the final press conference to preview their undisputed 154-pound world championship showdown taking place this Saturday, July 17 live on SHOWTIME from AT&T Center in San Antonio in a Premier Boxing Champions event.

Thursday’s press conference also featured unbeaten Interim WBA Lightweight Champion Rolando “Rolly” Romero and former title challenger Anthony Yigit, who meet in the co-main event, and unbeaten middleweight Amilcar Vidal and veteran contender Immanuwel Aleem, who battle in the telecast opener at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

The hard-hitting unified champion Charlo and the exciting Argentine Castaño will go toe-to-toe as all of the super welterweight championship belts are on the line for the first time in the four-belt era. The highly anticipated matchup will add to the long and storied history of major championship fights to take place in San Antonio.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by Lions Only Promotions and TGB Promotions, are on sale now and can be purchased through www.attcenter.com. Romero vs. Yigit is co-promoted with Mayweather Promotions.

Here is what the press conference participants had to say Thursday from San Antonio:

JERMELL CHARLO

“I’m excited to be fighting back in Texas, but I’ll fight anywhere. As long as everyone tunes in, they know what time it is. I’m more than ready. I’m excited and anxious to get in the ring.

“This is a dream come true. I’ve wanted to be undisputed since I was a child because this is the highest you can reach in boxing. Being in this moment really makes me thankful to my whole team who helped me get to this point.

“Now is the time that me and my brother finally get the opportunity to show the world what we’re worth. This is the moment for us. Opportunities like this don’t come around too often, so I have to go out there and take advantage.

“I’m not old enough to think about the Hall of Fame yet. I’m just focusing on the right now. I have a goal to accomplish that will take 36 minutes or less on Saturday. I’ll look into everything else that this means after Saturday night.

“I don’t have any pressure on me. I’ve been in this position so many times in my life. If I felt the pressure, I wouldn’t be in this moment. He has to come and do his thing. He has to put the pressure on me and avoid these bombs I’m throwing.

“I can’t predict the future, but just know that I’m stronger and faster than I was before. I just feel like I’m ready. I have power in every punch I throw and I’m thankful for this opportunity to face another champion.

“I have the don’t blink attitude for this fight. You never know what could happen at any moment of any round. I’ve knocked people out in just about every round. We’re both in good shape, so we’re going to find out who’s better Saturday.

“A focused Jermell is the most dangerous Jermell there could be. I have different skill sets that I can implement in this fight no matter what Castaño does. I have a lot that I can do depending what Castaño brings.

“My loss was just all part of God’s plan. After the controversial loss, I got right back in there for the rematch. I had jet fuel in me and went on to unify and now we’re going to keep going. There’s no stopping the show.

“It’s dangerous for him to come forward and walk into shots. Most opponents that I’ve faced who’ve done that, I’ve put them out. We’ll see if he’s able to stand up to the power.

“I put my life on the line to feed my family. I have a lot of things that I need the boxing world to understand before my career is over. You can see that I’ve always faced tough opponents. My mindset was always stay focused, so you don’t get cut, like in the NFL. You have to work hard so nobody takes your position. That’s how I look at it mentally. I’m in a great position, but I still have a lot more to prove.”

BRIAN CASTAÑO

“For me and my team, this is yet another opportunity to lift Argentine boxing up and add another star to that legacy. That’s what I want and I’m enjoying this moment. I promise that on Saturday night, I’m going to leave it all in the ring for everybody.

“He has all the pressure on him being in his home state. I’ve been training so hard for nine months and I’m comfortable as the underdog. I always come in as the underdog, so I don’t feel any pressure.

“When it comes down to it, if I have to lower my punch output to put more power on my punches, then I will. I don’t like to focus on past fights, because we have our own game plans for this fight. I have a plan to come out victorious Saturday night.

“We have a war to fight on July 17. I’m not thinking about anything beyond that fight. My mind is fully set on becoming undisputed champion Saturday night.

“I guarantee the fans are going to enjoy this fight and won’t leave disappointed. Both of us are going to do whatever it takes to come out victorious and that will make sure the fans will love this fight.

“I want to make not only Argentina, but all of Latin America proud. That’s what I want to do on Saturday night.

“In the end, I can only focus on what I’m going to do. If Charlo wants to be more finesse, I can deal with that, and if he wants to brawl, then by all means I will welcome that as well.

“Seeing Argentina win the Copa America last Saturday night motivated me even more. Messi deserved his title, and he made the entire country happy. I hope that the party can continue a week later with an undisputed champion as well

“Height and reach are the only similarities between Jermell and Erislandy Lara and Michel Soro. He’s his own man and he’s certainly a tough opponent to face.”

Unified World Champion Jermell Charlo and WBO World Champion Brian Castaño will battle for undisputed status at super welterweight as all four 154-pound belts hang in the balance for the first time in history on Saturday, July 17 live on SHOWTIME from AT&T Center in San Antonio in a Premier Boxing Champions event.

SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and will also feature unbeaten Interim WBA Lightweight Champion Rolando “Rolly” Romero taking on Austin Dulay in the co-main event, plus unbeaten middleweight Amilcar Vidal matching up against veteran contender Immanuwel Aleem in a 10-round bout that opens the telecast.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by Lions Only Promotions and TGB Promotions, are on sale now and can be purchased through www.attcenter.com. Romero vs. Dulay is co-promoted with Mayweather Promotions.

“This is going to be a monumental and historic event on July 17 at AT&T Center in San Antonio,” said Tom Brown, President of TGB Promotions. “Charlo and Castaño will be vying to become the first undisputed champion at 154-pounds in the four-belt era.

This is a big moment for the sport and I’m expecting both fighters to do whatever it takes to accomplish something that’s never been done before. Whoever emerges victorious on July 17, will cement their legacy and become the undisputed top fighter in one of the most stacked divisions in all of boxing.”

After years of scintillating matchups, memorable showdowns, and drama-filled bouts, the super welterweight division will crown an undisputed champion on July 17 when the unified champion Charlo puts his three titles on the line against the hard-charging world champion Castaño. The winner of this matchup will become the first four-belt champion of the 154-pound division.

Houston’s Charlo (34-1, 18 KOs) became a unified champion in his last fight, dropping Jeison Rosario three times on his way to an eighth-round knockout that earned him the WBA and IBF titles.

Before that fight, Charlo had avenged the only loss of his career, as he reclaimed his WBC belt via an 11th-round knockout of Tony Harrison in one of 2019’s best fights.

The 31-year-old is trained by Derrick James in Dallas and won his first world title in his debut fight with James by scoring an eighth-round knockout of John Jackson in 2016. He followed up that victory with three successful defenses, knocking out Erickson Lubin and Charles Hatley, while winning a decision over former world champion Austin Trout.

“I’m more than excited for July 17,” said Charlo. “I have so much potential and I’m just doing everything I can to get better and do better day by day.

I’m hungrier than ever because I know I’m on the verge of capturing this undisputed title and doing something that nobody has ever done before at 154 pounds.

There’s nobody out there that’s as fast, strong and elusive as me. Castaño doesn’t possess anything I haven’t seen before, and we’ll see if he can take my power and the pain I’ll bring.

But there’s nothing that worries me about this fight. I’m training super hard and aggressive and just taking it one day at a time. I’m so ready for this and more than likely he’ll walk into every shot I throw.”

The 31-year-old Castaño (17-0-1, 12 KOs) put on a spectacular performance to capture the WBO title in February, as he dominated Patrick Teixeira to wrest the belt away via unanimous decision.

A native of Buenos Aires, Argentina, a win on July 17 would be a monumental achievement in the storied history of Argentine boxing.

Prior to winning his title, Castaño fought to a draw against two-division world champion Erislandy Lara in a 2019 action fight, and also owns triumphs over Michel Soro, Cedric Vitu, and Wale Omotoso.

A highly experienced amateur, Castaño notched victories over unified welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. and top middleweight Sergiy Derevyanchenko before he turned pro.

“This is the biggest opportunity of my life and I won’t let it get away,” said Castaño. “I’ll make Charlo suffer more than he ever thought was possible. I’m training with only one goal in mind, to leave the ring with all of the belts on July 17.”

The fight between WBO Jr. Middleweight World Champion Patrick Teixeira and Brian Castaño is set for tomorrow night at Fantasy Springs Casino, Indio.

Argentinian mandatory challenger Castaño will aspire to dethrone the world champion Teixeira. The Argentine obtained this place, after beating Wale Omotoso on November 2, 2019.

Teixeira won the title over favorite Carlos Adames last November on a show promoted by Top Rank.

The pandemic complicated the realization of the duel, as well as the restrictions that each government imposed to face the pandemic. For example, Brazilian citizens were prohibited from entering the United States for months, which prevented the 154-pound monarch from traveling to North America.

The fight will be streamed on DAZN.