Jermall Charlo Off Spence-Tszyu Card After Australia Visa Denied

Jermall Charlo’s scheduled fight with Koen Mazoudier on the Errol Spence Jr-Tim Tszyu card in Sydney is off after the former two-division champion was denied a visa by the Australian Government.

No Limit Boxing confirmed on Friday that Charlo will not travel to Australia for the bout, which had been due to feature as a major undercard fight at Afterpay Arena. Premier Boxing Champions representatives also confirmed that Charlo’s fight with Mazoudier has been cancelled, with no reason provided for the visa denial.

Charlo addressed the cancellation on Instagram, writing: “Unfortunately, I will not be able to fight next Saturday. I’ve been training nonstop for the last three months and was ready to make a statement. I want to apologize to all my fans and let them know I will keep training and be back on a PBC event very soon.”

The setback extends a stop-start period for Charlo, 36, who has fought only four times since 2020. He last boxed on May 31, 2025, in Las Vegas, stopping Thomas Lamanna in the sixth round to end an 18-month absence, and the Mazoudier fight had been positioned as the next step in another run after further inactivity. Charlo told ESPN he had wanted to fight “three times” in 2025 but did not box again after Lamanna, and he was later slated to challenge then-WBA super middleweight champion Armando Resendiz in May before being pulled and replaced by Jamie Munguia for undisclosed reasons.

His travel status had been uncertain for several days. A No Limit spokesperson confirmed on Thursday that Charlo had not left Los Angeles because of ongoing visa issues, while trainer Ronnie Shields, who works with both Charlo and Spence, had still expected him to arrive in Sydney. Shields told The Punch Podcast: “He’s coming tomorrow or the next day.” He added: “And camp (for him) has been great, really great. He feels so excited to come to Australia. And let me tell you something, he’s ready for that championship run. And he’s going to start it here in Australia.”

The Charlo decision came during a disrupted build-up for the American contingent on the Spence-Tszyu show. Spence and Shields arrived in Sydney on Thursday morning after their own travel plans were delayed from an original Monday arrival, with Spence initially prevented from boarding in Los Angeles because of a clerical error reportedly involving the use of a number from an expired passport. Stephen Fulton had also been delayed by visa issues before Fox Sports Australia reported that he landed in Sydney on Friday ahead of his fight with Liam Wilson.

Charlo’s situation carried added scrutiny because of Australia’s temporary visa requirements and its discretionary character test, though no link has been established between those rules and the denial. Public reporting shows he has convictions arising from a 2015 domestic battery case in Nevada and a 2024 driving incident in Pearland, Texas. In June, Charlo pleaded guilty to driving while intoxicated and collision involving damage to a vehicle greater than or equal to $200, was sentenced to three days in a Texas county jail, received credit for time served, was fined and had his driving licence suspended for 90 days. He has also previously faced felony robbery and family-assault charges that were later dismissed.

No Limit said the remainder of the card is unchanged, with Spence’s return against Tszyu still headlining and Fulton-Wilson, Callum Peters and Paulo Aokuso among the supporting bouts. PBC representatives told ESPN they hope to get Charlo back into the ring as soon as possible, leaving his next move dependent on whether a new date can be secured after the failed Australia trip.