Charlo and Fulton still grounded by Australian visa issues

Jermall Charlo and Stephen Fulton have still not been cleared to fly to Australia ahead of their scheduled undercard appearances on the July 26 show at Afterpay Arena in Sydney. A No Limit spokesperson confirmed on Thursday afternoon that both American fighters had not yet left LAX that evening, US time, because of ongoing visa issues.

The delay has left Charlo’s place on the card uncertain, with the former two-division titleholder due to face Koen Mazoudier in the co-main event beneath Tim Tszyu-Errol Spence Jr. Fulton is also scheduled to fight Liam Wilson on the same bill.

Errol Spence Jr. and trainer Ronnie Shields arrived in Sydney on Thursday morning, July 16, after their own travel plans were pushed back from an original Monday arrival. Spence had initially been prevented from boarding in Los Angeles because of a clerical error, reportedly involving the use of a number from an expired passport, but his team has since reached Australia without Charlo.

No Limit had confirmed on Wednesday evening that Spence and Shields had departed, while Charlo remained without flight permission. Shields, who also trains Charlo, said he still expected him in Sydney shortly, telling The Punch Podcast: “He’s coming tomorrow or the next day.” Shields 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.”

Visa uncertainty continues

The immediate issue for the promoters is timing. Charlo and Fulton are both attached to major undercard fights on a pay-per-view event less than two weeks away, and any further delay would compress their arrival, acclimatisation and fight-week obligations in Sydney.

Charlo last fought on May 31, 2025, in Las Vegas, stopping Thomas Lamanna in the sixth round. His scheduled fight with Mazoudier is being positioned as the start of another run after a period of limited activity, but his travel status now sits alongside the sporting stakes of the match-up.

Fulton is due to return against Wilson after his December 2025 defeat to O’Shaquie Foster in San Antonio. Foster won a unanimous decision by scores of 117-111, 118-110 and 119-109, with Fulton having moved up from featherweight; the bout was ultimately sanctioned for the WBC interim lightweight title after Fulton came in two pounds over the scheduled 130-pound championship limit.

Charlo’s position carries extra scrutiny because of Australia’s broad temporary visa requirements and its discretionary “character test”. Public reporting shows Charlo has convictions arising from a 2015 domestic battery case in Nevada and a 2024 driving incident in Pearland, Texas, resolved last month through guilty pleas to driving while intoxicated and causing damage to a vehicle valued. He was sentenced to three days in county jail, received credit for time already served, was fined and had his driving licence suspended for 90 days.

Charlo has also previously faced felony robbery and family-assault charges that were later dismissed. Fulton is not reported to have criminal convictions, but he is nonetheless among the fighters still awaiting clearance to travel.

Australian visa issues have affected major boxing events before. In 2022, Bill Haney initially was not approved for a visa because of a 1992 drug conviction before receiving late clearance to travel for Devin Haney’s undisputed lightweight title fight with George Kambosos in Melbourne.

No Limit now has to wait on the visa process before confirming whether Charlo-Mazoudier and Fulton-Wilson proceed as planned. The next significant development will be whether either fighter is granted clearance in time to board a flight to Sydney and take part in fight-week obligations before the July 26 card.