Roy Jones Jr. Shuts Down Comparisons With Canelo Alvarez: ‘He Is Not Going as High as I Went’

Canelo Alvarez is undoubtedly pushing forward to become a pound-for-pound legend in the sport of boxing. Having amassed world titles in four weight categories, he is already a multi-divisional superstar and currently holds all four belts in the super middleweight division (168 lbs).

At the age of 31, Alvarez holds a record of 57 wins, 1 loss, 2 no-contest, in which he has earned 39 knockout victories. All these features cite him to be superior to many of his contemporaries, including various retired legends. However, the former champion, Roy Jones Jr. doesn’t see the Mexican superstar being anywhere above himself.

Akin to Canelo Alvarez, ‘Captain Hook’ had also taken part in multiple divisions, claiming titles in four of them. That said, he explained why his weight changes were way more difficult and praise-worthy than Alvarez’s.

In a chat with iFL TV, Roy Jones Jr. said, “He [Canelo Alvarez] is not going as high as I went. I went straight 75 to 200, that 200 lbs of muscle. Something that I had never put on me before. He doesn’t gradually, he was at 54, he was already too big at 54, he went to 60.”

“But he probably was already carrying 68 by the time he got to 60. So then he can put on a little bit more muscle, went to 68. Then he just puts 10 more on it, goes 75 but then he put it back more weight to 68. I jumped straight 205 up, straight 205 back down. That was a massive champ.”

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Well, Alvarez was also planning to move up to cruiserweight (200 lbs) a few months back. He was in talks to meet WBC champion Ilunga Makabu over there. However, those plans are currently on hold.

Can Canelo Alvarez conquer more weight classes?

On moving up to 200 lbs, Canelo Alvarez can envision himself surpassing Roy Jones Jr. Both men currently stand equal with world championships in four weight categories. However, a title win in the cruiserweight unit will make it five for the current pound-for-pound king. Adding to that, Alvarez has been an undisputed champion at 168 lbs, which he can repeat doing at 175.

Having conquered the entire super middleweight division, promoter Eddie Hearn has offered Alvarez a fight against the light heavyweight champion, Dmitry Bivol. Therefore, he also has a massive chance of entering the 175 lbs title race again. Meanwhile, middleweight champions- Jermall Charlo and Gennady Golovkin are also relevant to his combat radar.

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Interestingly, Canelo Alvarez is now a free agent and can work with any promoter at will. It expands the list of his potential rivals, which goes straight from the middleweight to the cruiserweight division at this time. Thus, it’s valid for us to expect him to become a five-division champion, at least by the time he hangs up his gloves.