I wouldn’t be surprised if Jones’s walking weight is in the mid to high 220lbs. He will definitely be at a strength disadvantage at HW. His skills and speed should nullify that gap, but his reflexes will deteriorate with age. I wouldn’t wait too long to move up if he plans on doing it.
If Jones wants to properly transition to HW, I believe vacating his LHW title is the way to go. He should take 8-10 months off to put on the extra muscle mass in a professional manner.
I’ve said many times that some (not all) of the reasons Jones is so successful at LHW is because of his physical attributes. Most of the times, he is the taller, bigger, stronger and lengthier fighter at 205lbs. Add a very good skillset on top of that, you got a very difficult puzzle to solve. At HW, Jones won’t have those physical advantages. HW fighters are used to fighting big 6ft4+ men with one punch KO power, Jones doesn’t possess that. His reach and defensive frame won’t be as effective against the taller, lengthier fighters at HW.