Roy Jones Jr knows what it means to go up in weight and become a multi-division champion.
The former undisputed light heavyweight champion won his first belt in the 160 lb division and moved up to heavyweight to become a world champion, one of the few men to do it.
It is a feat that is difficult to match in boxing, but Terence Crawford could carve out his piece of history if he were to beat Canelo Alvarez in September.
Omaha’s own, if he were to be victorious, would be a three-time undisputed champion in three separate weight classes, a first for a male boxer in the modern era.
Roy Jones Jr reveals who he is ‘leaning’ towards in the Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford clash
Although the two-weight-class jump could play a factor in the bout, some fighters believe Crawford will ‘bully’ Canelo using his game plan from the Errol Spence Jr fight.
Jones Jr, an expert in divisional weight jumps, has disregarded the idea of weight being an issue for this fight, believing that anyone who predicts that ‘Bud’ cannot step up to the task is wrong, given his prior accomplishments.
When asked by The Ring for an analysis of the fight itself, the American gave his view of the clash on paper.
He explained: “If Canelo fights the absolute correct fight that he can fight, the only correct fight that he can fight, he does have a chance, and I think he could be victorious.
“If he doesn’t, fight the one way that he’s going to fight to win it, Terence Crawford has six ways he can win it. And my money will go to a man who has six ways to win it over the man who has one way of winning it.”
By their own admissions, both Crawford and Canelo’s last performance fell short of the high expectations of these pound-for-pound kings, but the American was more convincing in his win over Israil Madrimov.
While he initially said he is not ‘leaning’ towards either fighter, he did admit that he was edging towards the challenger.
“I love both guys. Well, I can’t say I’m (not) leaning, I am leaning toward Crawford. Not because Canelo is not a great fighter, but because I don’t know,” Jones Jr said.
“There’s a lot of I don’t knows about Canelo. So, I don’t know if Canelo is hungry. I know Bud is hungry. Bud stays hungry. I don’t know if Canelo’s hungry. Bud has never gotten the recognition for what he deserves.”
Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford have three undercard fights confirmed, with an exciting prospect set to compete
As the two modern greats are set to lock horns, some interesting prospects are looking to make their name on the biggest stage possible with the recent undercard announcements by Turki Alalshikh.
There is an intriguing match-up in the super middleweight division between the French contender Christian Mbilli (29-0, 24 KOs) and the exciting Guatemalan prospect Lester Martinez (19-0, 16 KOs).
Martinez has been sparring with Crawford to help him prepare for the Mexican champion, while Mbilli has made his name on the world stage by becoming the WBC interim champion.
Dana White-backed prospect Callum Walsh (14-0, 11 KOs) will be taking on Fernando Vargas Jr (17-0, 15 KOs) at super welterweight.
The young Irishman, Walsh, has made a name for himself on UFC Fight Pass, being trained by Manny Pacquiao’s coach, Freddie Roach, in California.
Vargas Jr is from a fighting family with his father, the former two-time champion Fernando Vargas Sr, and his brother Emiliano, one of the sport’s rising stars.
Mohammed Alakel (4-0, 0 KOs) also continues on his path, as the Saudi Arabian prospect fights John Ornelas (5-2-1, 2 KOs), a month after his fight on the Moses Itauma vs Dillian Whyte prelims.