Roy Jones Jr. believes that Jermell Charlo is taking a huge gamble by moving up to 168 pounds for his September 30th bout with Canelo Alvarez for the undisputed super middleweight title.
Due to the 14-pound weight increase and the fact that Jermell (35-1-1, 19 KOs) will be facing a stronger opponent than he is accustomed to, Roy Jones Jr. is worried that his performance may suffer.
Jones thinks Jermell is taking a chance by agreeing to face Canelo (59-2-2, 39 KOs), but that the huge payoff will be worth it to him in the end. Jones increased his weight from 175 to 200 in order to challenge and eventually defeat John Ruiz for the WBA heavyweight title in 2003.
In spite of Jones’s seeming success at the lighter weight, his career declined as he once again settled down at 175. If Jermell remains, he will be able to rematch Canelo and face any other elite fighters he wants.
After Terrence Crawford knocks out Tim Tszyu, Charlo will be too preoccupied with his rematch with Canelo to promote a bout between Jermell and Tszyu.
Roy James Jr. says Jermell Will Have Problems
As Roy Jones Jr. put it, “It’s strange for Jermell because this is his first time going that high, and he’s doing it for two weight classes,” as Jermell Charlo moves up from 154 to 168 to face Canelo Alvarez for his undisputed super middleweight championship on September 30.
It’s easy to skip one weight category, but skipping two is a bit of a challenge. It’s a really substantial amount of weight. Your body’s reaction to that is unknown at this time.
Roy explained that this is why most men intentionally gain weight: “Guys usually go up a couple of pounds; add a couple more pounds to see how their body is going to react.” Ultimately, Charlo had no other option. He wouldn’t have fought Canelo at all if he had asked for a year to train at 168 pounds.
Canelo has had stamina issues ever since his bout with Dmitry Bivol, which Roy willfully ignores. Canelo will be at Jermell’s mercy if he continues to tyre himself out too soon. Saying, “You’re going to take that 14 lb jump and see what happens,” Jones Jr.
That’s risky since you can’t predict how your body will react to carrying around an extra 14 pounds. Are you able to hold that for a whole twelve rounds? Is it a punch you can absorb for twelve rounds?
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After Roy Jones Jr. fought John Ruiz in 2003 at heavyweight, he lost his ability to withstand blows. After that, he went on to lose five more times by knockout. Jermell need to go through that.
“There are a lot of questions to be answered, and you didn’t start with a six lb jump, said Jones Jr. You managed a massive 14-pound increase. “Maybe he can pull that off without too much of a hitch,” Jones Jr. added.
Canelo Moved Up Slowly
The way Canelo handled it was similar, but he did it gradually over time. He started with a six-pound jump, then proceeded to an eight-pound jump, and finally, when he tried to go to 175 pounds, it didn’t go so well,” said Roy Jones Jr.
Canelo was able to take his time rising up the rankings because he was already a huge star and there was no one more popular than him at either 160 or 168. It’s a different story for Jermell. He can’t afford to wait around for a promotion.
When do you feel the effects of your weight? If you’re not sure. If you just get up to look, you will most likely be disappointed. That’s a bold move, yet it reeks of suspicion.
Canelo didn’t do well against John Ryder because he anticipated Ryder’s style of fighting. The identity of John Ryder was not hidden from us. To him, Charlo is familiar territory. Roy Jones Jr. stated, “We are familiar with the name Charlo.
