By MJ Mendoza:
“The Whole is greater than the sum of its parts” – Aristotle
Boxing is and always has been a symbiont industry.
Although the real bosses of boxing, the fans, view the pastime as an individual-based sport, it takes a great team to reach optimal success.
Without all working parts moving in harmony, everything falls apart.
Mexico’s first and only four-division world champion, Saul Canelo Alvarez, is confident his team has properly prepared him for one of boxing’s elite, undisputed Junior Middleweight champion Jermell Charlo (35-1-1).
Playing an integral role in his preparation for the athletically gifted 154-pound titlist, head trainer Eddy Reynoso carefully selected an equally talented and hungry young middleweight from Sacramento, California, to give Canelo an accurate depiction of what to expect on September 30th.
Joeshon James (7-0-1, 4 KOs) was more than happy to be of service to one of boxing’s biggest franchises.
“I was honored when I received the call to be a part of this camp,” states the 25-year-old prospect. “I know they chose me because of my height, reach, and speed, and I think I’ve given Canelo great work. I know I’ve really learned a lot from this experience.”
Standing 6’1″ in the center of the ring and fighting behind a lengthy 75″ reach, Joeshon believes he’s a future world champion and realizes his attributes are a problem for anyone standing in the opposite corner. So, achieving competitive but productive sparring with the future Hall of Famer didn’t come without issue.
“Canelo’s a really competitive guy, and so am I. So things got heated at times. I know why I’m here, and I’m not trying to hurt the champ before a big fight. But at the same time, I’m nobody’s punching bag.”
“At the end of the day, I believe I pushed him enough to where he’ll be sharp on fight night but not too much to where he won’t have anything left. I’m actually kind of excited to see how he performs against Charlo next Saturday.”
While “The Iron Man” is jumping up two weight divisions to face Canelo at 168 pounds, the pressure rests solely on the shoulders of boxing’s biggest North American Star.
A mere victory won’t be enough to satisfy most interested fans and critics. A resounding and definitive KO is imperative for Team Canelo on September 30th.
Mr. James is confident that his work with the crowd favorite will be evident on fight night.
“I’m not going to make a prediction for this fight because I’m competing on the undercard. But I am very interested in seeing how he looks against a live dog like Charlo. No fights are easy at this level. But if Canelo makes another undisputed champ look like easy work, I’ll know I did my part.”
Joeshon James will be competing in the prelims at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, as a token of Team Canelo and PBC’s gratitude for all of his hard work and dedication during camp.
Although the Middleweight hopeful from Sacramento is extremely grateful to be a part of this event, he understands that Team Canelo didn’t do him any favors by pairing him with the highly touted southpaw from Kazakhstan, Abilkhan Amankul (4-0, 4 KOs).
In the mind of the Joeshon James, it’s another step towards inevitably capturing a major world title.
“Working with Canelo was a great learning experience, and I’m very thankful for the opportunity to be a part of boxing history. I was confident in my abilities before this camp, and now I know I can hang with the best in the world.”