That opportunity nearly presented itself in May against then-WBA super middleweight champion Armando Resendiz. Ultimately, the timing wasn't right for Charlo, and Resendiz faced Jaime Munguia. Munguia soundly outboxed Resendiz to win a unanimous decision and the WBA belt.

“I was close to fighting,” Charlo told The Ring, referring to the potential bout with Resendiz. “Negotiations didn't work out in my favor. I'm not here to just fight for money. I'm gonna fight for my legacy, and I want to make it worthwhile. You can't just rush me into a camp. I like to have a full camp like I do now.

"And it doesn’t matter who I'm fighting, I like to be in tip-top shape. It was close, but hats off to Munguia. Since he won, we should be able to fight.”

Charlo (34-0, 23 KOs) returns to the ring after a nearly 14-month layoff to face Koen Mazoudier in a 10-round super middleweight bout on July 26 in Sydney, Australia (July 25 in the U.S.) in the co-feature for the Errol Spence vs. Tim Tszyu card on DAZN and Prime Video PPV.

Munguia (46-2, 35 KOs) or any of the champions are on Charlo's radar as long as he gets past Mazoudier (15-4-1, 6 KOs), as expected. Charlo was impressed with what he saw from Munguia against Resendiz (16-3, 11 KOs).

“I liked that he came out different,” Charlo said. “Munguia boxed. He showed us a different side of him. He showed himself as a true champion. He stood in the pocket, and he got hit a couple of times. I like the fighter. I think that’s a good fight for me.”

The former 154- and 160-pound champion has only fought twice since 2021. He last stepped into the ring in May 2025, dropping Thomas LaManna three times en route to a sixth-round stoppage.

The win was supposed to set up a fight with former titleholder Caleb Plant in late 2025, but Plant lost a split decision to Resendiz for the interim WBA 168-pound title in the main event. Resendiz was elevated to full titlist after Terence Crawford retired following his win over Canelo Alvarez.

Charlo, 36, knows he’s in the latter stages of his career and that time is of the essence if he’s going to become a world champion at super middleweight.

“It would mean the world to me,” Charlo said of becoming a three-division champion. “That's something I want to do. Every division I stepped into, I was able to conquer a title. That's like a major goal for me.”