Charles Conwell says he's trying to 'stake my claim and dominate at 154'

The junior middleweight (154) division is among the elite weight classes in the sport of boxing. It is one of the few that has a clear No. 1 fighter in undisputed champion Jermell Charlo who holds all four major world titles. Following Charlo, there are numerous contenders waiting on the sidelines for their opportunity to move up the ranks or a title shot. One of those fighters is Charles Conwell (18-0, 13 KOs).

Conwell, 25, was a nationally ranked-amateur boxer winning first place in numerous youth and junior amateur tournaments. He was also a member of the 2016 U.S. Olympic team. Most recently, Conwell won a majority decision over Juan Carlos Abreu in November 2022 on the undercard of Regis Prograis' 11th-round stoppage over Jose Zepeda.

With the victory over Abreu, Conwell added another scalp to his resume of top contenders, including Juan Carlos Rubio, Wendy Toussaint, Madiyar Ashkeyev, and Courtney Pennington. However, like most fighters, Conwell is his own harshest critic and views his win over Abreu as an opportunity to further refine his skills.

"I feel like I could have done better," stated Conwell in an interview with Fansided MMA. "I feel like there are fights I have done better in. I think there are always things you can work on. And I watch that fight, and I look at it and think, 'Dang, I could have did this there, or I could have done that there, or I could have done this more.'"

He continued, "So there's always things I could work on or get better at. I'm always critiquing myself as a fighter."

With the number of top fighters in the junior middleweight division, Conwell should get an opportunity to put himself in a position to challenge for a title. Currently, he is the No. 2 ranked fighter by the WBC and should be one of the fighters next in line to challenge for some version of the title.

With Charlo sitting on top of the division and being inactive due to injuries, there have been some needed surprises at junior middleweight, highlighting the level of competition. Tim Tszyu further solidified himself as the future of the weight class stopping former champion Tony Harrison earlier this year in March.

Arguably just as critical, Brian Mendoza delivered one of the best knockouts of the year when he put down Sebastian Fundora in the seventh round for the interim WBC title.

As for where Conwell sees himself in the division, it's right at the top as the best fighter at junior middleweight.

Charles Conwell is one of the top-rated fighters at 154-pounds and wants to prove himself against the best of the division

"You got to say that Charlo is the best fighter in the division because he has all the belts, but also, I feel like I'm the best fighter in the division, too, but as time goes on, he's getting older, and I'm getting more into my prime," Conwell said. "It gives me a better advantage to beat him and even stop him, taking all the belts."

He continued, "154 is the most stacked and competitive division. There are a lot of good fighters, and all the good fighters fight each other. There's not much ducking or dodging for the division. There are a lot of good fights being made. So it's hard to say if somebody's overrated or underrated because everybody is fighting everybody."

"I'm trying to stake my claim at 154 and dominate 154. "Before I move up and go make any other decisions. But for right now, 154 is my division, and I want to win world titles at 154," he said.

While junior middleweight isn't one of boxing's eight original weight classes, since it was first established in the early 1960s, the division has consistently featured some of the best fighters in the sport. Some of the names that have frequented the weight class are Hall-of-Famers such as Thomas Hearns, Terry Norris, Mike McCallum, Oscar De La Hoya, Ronald Wright, and Felix Trinidad.

Conwell may not have started as a hardcore boxing enthusiast, but as his career has progressed, he has begun to study more of the greats of the past.

"Now, I'm starting to get into older fighters," said Conwell. "But before that, I would watch fighters from a generation or two before me, like Floyd Mayweather, Andre Ward, and Canelo. Now, I'm starting to go back and film-study the older guys. I'm starting to get into those guys, like Mike McCallum, John Mugabi, Sugar Ray Robinson, Wilfred Benitez, and Ike Williams.

"I'm just starting to get into those types of fighters. So now I'm studying and trying to understand and get a grasp of how fighters fought back in the day. I'm just trying to tweak it and bring it to my own style."

Conwell, who Dibella Entertainment promotes, has requested that the WBC order a fight between himself and Mendoza. However, with over six months of inactivity, the goal for Conwell is to get back in the ring as soon as possible, regardless of who's in the ring with him.

"So I'm looking to get a fight in by the end of summer, sometime in August," Conwell said to Fansided MMA. "That's a better fit, so I'm looking to get a fight in, to stay busy, stay active, and stay sharp.

"I don't really have anybody in mind, but I'm going off of my last performance, how I look in the fight; it doesn't matter who I'm going in the ring with; it just matters how I perform and how I look during the fight. So it doesn't matter who I get in there with."

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