Jermell Charlo was shocked when he heard the split draw announcement, but he had no issues accepting the result of the three judges’ scorecards. Charlo and Brian Castaño delivered a back-and-forth battle with all the major junior middleweight belts on the line 10 months ago.

Charlo didn’t leave the ring as the undisputed champion, but that was understandable for him. The confusion occurred when Charlo noticed the post-fight criticism his performance received from pundits.

Charlo is known for his power, but he didn’t hurt Castaño until late in the fight and had a slow start because of Castaño’s frequent pressure. But Charlo argued most of Castaño’s punches were blocked and added that his performance was criticized unfairly because he didn’t record a knockout.

Charlo doesn’t want to leave any doubt in Saturday’s rematch with the Argentinian, but he’s not solely aiming for the knockout. Charlo and Castaño will headline a Showtime-televised event from Dignity Health Sports Park, also known as the “War Grounds” in Carson.

“If he goes to sleep in any part of the rounds, then that’s what y’all been waiting on, that’s what y’all expected from me because most of the world expects Jermell Charlo to be the knockout artist who’s knocking everyone out,” Charlo said. “But the moment I go the distance, they have a lot of criticism and a lot of people say things.”

Charlo, 31, urged those who knocked his first performance against Castaño, 32, to watch the round-by-round video breakdown from Showtime boxing analyst Steve Farhood. It didn’t help Charlo that judge Nelson Vazquez scored it 117-111 in his favor, upsetting those who viewed the bout much closer. Steve Weisfeld had it 114-113 for Castaño and Tim Cheatham had a 114-114 draw.

“The judges couldn’t see the many shots being blocked by the gloves and the arms, just like Steve Farhood did the analysis from Showtime,” Charlo said. “Check that out. It breaks down the fight. Personally, it shows what I was doing in there and this time I want to make sure it’s a clear win.”

Charlo, the WBA/IBF/WBC champion, has issues with his critics, but he’s not taking anything away from Castaño, the WBO titleholder.

“Brian Castaño is a rugged Latino fighter,” Charlo said. “He fights hard and is a diehard Argentinian. He showed me that. Neither one of us pulled out the victory, so it’s only right to get back in the ring and fight him again.”

KOVALEV RETURNS

Sergey Kovalev will end his 30-month layoff with a pre-fight concert and a new weight class.

Kovalev’s cruiserweight debut against Tervel Pulev will headline a Triller Fight Club event on Saturday at the Forum in Inglewood. Legendary hip-hop groups Cypress Hill and Onyx will battle on stage for the latest edition of Triller’s “Verzuz” before the fighters make their ring walks.

This will be Kovalev’s first fight since being knocked out by Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in the 11th round of their Nov. 2019 bout.

“Since I changed to cruiserweight, it has changed everything,” said Kovalev, the former light heavyweight champion. “Most importantly, I don’t have to worry about losing the weight. Actually, the last two years fighting at light heavyweight and making 175, was miserable for me.”

Kovalev, 39, gave Alvarez trouble with his length and jab during Alvarez’s debut at 175 pounds. Dmitry Bivol said he used Kovalev’s blueprint to stifle Alvarez in a stunning upset last week, but Bivol was more aggressive than his fellow countryman from Russia and had youth on his side.

Kovalev said he’s aiming to be a world champion at cruiserweight, but he’s not planning on fighting for more than three years.

“I am not sure how many fights it will take to get a title,” Kovalev said. “But if I win a title next year, then I will stop.”

RAMIREZ’S TITLE QUEST

Light heavyweight contender Gilberto Ramirez will headline an event at the Toyota Arena in Ontario to round out a busy Saturday of boxing in Southern California.

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He’ll continue his title quest at 175 pounds by challenging Dominic Boesel in a main event that will be streamed on DAZN.

“There’s going to be a lot of Mexican fans at the Toyota Arena, so I’m really excited,” said Ramirez, from Mexico. “I think Bivol was just too much for Canelo. I am a little sad as a Mexican boxing fan. In a way, I do have to get revenge since I represent Mexico as well.”

MAYWEATHER NOTE

And if you’re into exhibition bouts with big names, Floyd Mayweather Jr. is fighting Don Moore in Dubai on Saturday. The event will be streamed on LiveNow, starting at 10:30 a.m. PT.

SATURDAY BOXING SCHEDULE IN SOCAL

Jermell Charlo (34-1-1, 18 KOs) vs. Brian Castaño (17-0-2, 12 KOs)

Where: Dignity Health Sports Park, Carson

Time: 6 p.m.

TV: Showtime

Sergey Kovalev (34-4-1, 29 KOs) vs. Tervel Pulev (16-0, 13 KOs)

Where: The Forum, Inglewood

Time: 6 p.m.

Stream: Fite TV ($29.99)

Gilberto Ramirez (43-0, 29 KOs) vs. Dominic Boesel (32-2, 12 KOs)

Where: Toyota Arena, Ontario

Time: 5 p.m.

Stream: DAZN