Jermall Charlo will look to remain an undefeated champion when he makes his first title defense against Willie Monroe Jr.

WBC interim middleweight champion Jermall Charlo (27-0, 21 KOs) is ready for his first title defense against Willie Monroe Jr. (23-3, 6 KOs) at the Barclays Center in New York on Dec. 22. Charlo won the interim title back in April with a second-round knock out over Hugo Centeno Jr.

Charlo previously held the IBF junior middleweight title from 2015 to 2017. In September 2015, he defeated then junior middleweight champion Cornelius Bundrage by third-round knockout. Charlo went on to make three successful title defenses, before vacating the title and moving up to middleweight in 2017.

Had there been any champions available, Charlo would have looked to unify titles in the junior middleweight division. His twin brother Jermell, whom Charlo vowed not to fight; held the WBC title in the same division. Jermell will also make his fourth WBC title defense against Tony Harrison on the undercard of Charlo vs Monroe Jr.

While Charlo looks to remain undefeated, former title challenger Monoroe Jr. will look to become the new middleweight champion. He previously challenged Gennady Golovkin in May 2015, then Billy Joe Sanders in September 2017 for their titles; but came up short both times.