Canelo Alvarez Won't Become A Heavyweight Champ, Hall Of Fame Trainer Predicts

Saul “Canelo” Alvarez has managed to beat a legitimate light heavyweight champ, but veteran boxing trainer Buddy McGirt thinks he wouldn’t stand a chance against heavyweight fighters.

Roy Jones Jr. and James Toney were among the few middleweight fighters who also became champions in higher weight classes. The latter even won the then-vacant WBF world heavyweight title in 2017 at age 49.

Alvarez also put his name on the list with a sensational TKO win over Sergey Kovalev in November last year. However, for McGirt, Alvarez should just stay in the light heavyweight division because he doesn’t think the Mexican boxing superstar can endure punishment from a true heavyweight fighter.

“No. [Alvarez] he’s not that type of fighter,” McGirt told Elie Seckbach of EsNews when asked if he believes Alvarez can also win a heavyweight title like Toney.

McGirt, who competed in the welterweight division during his active years in the sport, insisted that sparring matches against a heavyweight are different from a real fight. Based on the Hall of Fame trainer’s assessment, there’s no way a lighter fighter can possibly win against a naturally bigger guy.

“I used to spar heavyweights when I was fighting but I would never try it (in a real fight). Hell no!” the 56-year-old explained. “Those punches hurt man. When you’re fighting a heavyweight with 10 ounce gloves, that s—t hurts. And no head gears?”

In a rare interview last September, Toney was also asked the same question about Alvarez. Unlike McGirt, Toney doesn’t think the weight difference would matter inside the ring. Instead, the former multi-division champ simply believes Alvarez wouldn’t become a heavyweight titlist because he doesn’t have the same power as him.

“He [Alvarez] ain’t James Toney,” the boxing legend previously pointed out. “I was 22 when I fought Michael Nunn and [I] knocked his a— out,” he pointed out. “I put him to sleep in his hometown. He was pound-for-pound no. 1 but you know what? I knocked [him] out!”

Alvarez is set to take on Callum Smith Saturday for the vacant World Boxing Council World Super Middleweight and World Boxing Association Super Middleweight titles.

Ahead of the match, McGirt is undecided over who to bet on, but he’s going for Smith as he is friends with the fighter’s family.

“I don’t know man but I gotta go for [Callum] Smith because I’m friends with him and the family,” he revealed. “I used to train his brother Paul.”