Yvon Michel, promoter for former WBO light heavyweight champion Eleider Alvarez (25-2), does not want the boxer to make a hasty decision regarding the rest of his career.

On Saturday night, Alvarez suffered only the second defeat of his career when he was knocked out in nine rounds by Joe Smith (26-3, 21 KOs) in a WBO eliminator.

In the days that followed, Alvarez explained that he was planning to retire from the sport.

Alvarez's trainer, Marc Ramsay, agreed with his boxer - stating that he was no longer the same fighter in training camp and his legs were dmininshed.

However, Michel believes his fighter should give it at least two weeks for the dust to settle - and then decide his future.

"It's never good to make decisions on the fly," said Michel in an interview with RDS. "Everyone thought [Sergey] Kovalev had to retire after his loss to Eleider, and yet in his next two fights he made more money than in his entire career. But hey, we obviously have to see what he wants to do.

“At the same time, I understand Marc's reaction. He told me that he saw the imprint of time on Eleider and that it was more and more difficult in training. If Eleider doesn't have the taste for more and Marc thinks it's not a good idea, I won't go to bat to find him fights. But if everyone comes back enthusiastically, then I'll do what I have to do.

“A guy like Eleider is always going to get offers. Take [Dillian] Whyte, he lost and there's already talk of a rematch. But is he going to want to face young people like [Joshua] Buatsi or [Edgar] Berlanga, given that this is what awaits him."

At the same time, Michel believes the style of Joe Smith would always present a big problem for Alvarez.

“The result of a fight is often a question of styles," Michel said. "I think Smith's style is always going to annoy Eleider. When he has a slightly less intense guy in front of him and the fight turns into a game of chess, Eleider will perform significantly better.

“When you fight against an opponent of Smith's caliber, you have to be on your legs to make him miss the mark and take him on a counterattack or even be able to hurt him. Eleider didn't have the legs and he couldn't hurt him. Basically, he never found his rhythm.

"Having said that, I'm not the one in the gym taking the hits. It is very important to come out of a healthy career and that is why it is essential to have determination and enthusiasm in training to never cut corners. A guy like Jean Pascal was precisely able to redefine himself after a slump."