Roy Jones Jr. Gives Canelo Alvarez Crucial Advice for Potential Dmitry Bivol Rematch

The died-down debate about being the “face of boxing” may just flare up once again with Canelo Alvarez‘s performance last night. Despite the doubts regarding his age and waning punching power, he proved his might and even knocked down Jermell Charlo during their fight. All in all, it was a dominating victory in which he showcased his strength. The Mexican icon emerged victorious in Charlo with the scorecard of 119-108, 118-109, and 118-109.

Now the question arises- who’s going to be the next pick of the undisputed middleweight champion? It was initially expected that Jermall Charlo would be his next opponent, however, who he is going to pick is anybody’s guess. While Alvarez has claimed to have kept his options open, former world champion Roy Jones Jr. has a suggestion for him.

Roy Jones Jr. gives a suggestion to Canelo Alvarez

In an interview with Boxing Social, Roy Jones Jr. discussed the fight between Canelo and Charlo. He called it a “great fight” but added, “The bigger fighter, the stronger  fighter”. Speaking on Charlo, Jones stated, “The fight plan would’ve been different if I had him, but everybody’s got to try what they got to try.” He also praised Charlo for his show of heart as he went up two weight classes to face Canelo.

For Canelo, Jones only had good things to say. After the victory, Alvarez has really proven his skills as a champion and made his comeback known to the world. However, Jones still cautioned Alvarez from reaching too far and going after Bivol at 175. Discussing his last fight against the Russian boxer, Jones Jr. stated that once Alvarez realized his ceiling, “he comes back down, got back to form and kept doing what he do.” He sees nothing wrong with Alvarez losing against a light heavyweight. Speaking about the potential Bivol fight he claimed, “He looked good at 168. Not at 175. He should do it at 168 if he’s going to do it”.

Canelo is adamant about facing Bivol in the light heavyweight category in order to avenge himself. However, Bivol sees no point in it and doesn’t want to give Alvarez another chance. Thus he has stated that he wants to defeat Alvarez in his own weight class.

Jones Jr. discusses the trend of boxers wanting to be undefeated

Prior to fighting Charlo, Canelo was looking for a rematch against Bivol. However, the Russian boxer wanted to fight in the super middleweight category, thus the bout was scrapped in the end. When told about how people wrote the boxer off after his second loss, Jones stated, “That’s boxing. They always right you off”. He addressed the growing trend among the boxing audience to only deem undefeated fighters as the best. This is a trend that started because of Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s streak, which still continues to haunt the sport as fighters are afraid to fight stronger opponents for fear of losing.

Furthermore, Jones also pointed out how when someone fights “anyone that comes”, they can meet a better fighter and lose. According to Jones, there is nothing wrong with that. He also discussed how Alvarez went up a weight category to challenge himself against Bivol. It appears that Jones finds Canelo moving up to face Bivol and losing, as not something to be looked down upon.

Read More: “That’s Good”: Canelo Alvarez Details if He Will Follow Floyd Mayweather’s Footsteps After Retirement From Boxing

It seems that the former champion wants to see the super middleweight champ fight Bivol in his own weight class rather than moving up. What do you think about this suggestion from Jones? Do you think it will make a difference in the results? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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