Cornelius 'K9' Bundrage vs. Jermall Charlo: Winner, Recap and Reaction

Jermall Charlo (22-0, 17 KO) steamrolled Cornelius "K9" Bundrage (34-6) and captured the IBF super welterweight title with a dominating third-round KO on Saturday in Mashantucket, Connecticut. The bout was part of the latest Premier Boxing Champions on NBC broadcast.

PBC acknowledged the newest world champion in the sport with this tweet:

Bundrage was the defending champion, but this fight looked like a mismatch from the very beginning. Charlo was bigger, faster and younger, and his skill set is far more refined than Bundrage's is. It didn't take long for that to show.

The 25-year-old Charlo's length and speed were apparent in the first round, but it was the decisive third frame that punctuated his crowning performance. A hard combination put the rugged Bundrage in peril. Charlo's ability to reach his chin seemed to shock Bundrage.

Bundrage was dropped after a crushing left hook forced him back into the corner. Charlo threw a right hand that tagged him before he went down. With his opponent looking a bit unstable after the initial knockdown, Charlo pounced, and he would drop the wounded champion three more times before finishing the deal.

Billie Weiss/Getty Images

Shortly after the final knockdown occurred, Bundrage contested the referee's decision, but the stoppage was justified.

In his post-fight interview, Charlo added this quotable statement, per PBC:

The 42-year-old Bundrage didn't talk about retirement after the lopsided loss. Per the PBC on NBC broadcast, he gave Charlo credit, but he also made some excuses:

"

He was pretty sharp. I haven't fought in, like, nine months, so I was a little rusty. Not taking nothing away from him. He fought a good fight, and I wish him the best. I just gotta stay active, that's all. I feel like I was rusty. I just gotta stay active, especially competing with younger guys like this. He's a better fighter than I thought he was, I gotta give him credit.

"

Charlo's win had former champion, current heavyweight contender and Spike TV boxing analyst Antonio Tarver excited about the 154-pound division.

The future for Charlo looks bright. He and his twin brother, Jermell, are both undefeated fighters in the same weight class. There will be an obvious push to make the brothers fight each other at some point—especially considering Jermall is now a world champion.

The Klitschko brothers resisted a similar scenario for years, and quite honestly, I hope the Charlo brothers do the same. With fighters like Demetrius Andrade, Erislandy Lara and even Canelo Alvarez in the mix at the weight class, there should be more than enough options for both brothers.

As for now, the sport has a new and young champion to follow, and that's a good thing for the sweet science.

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