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Rocky Fielding fights Canelo Alvarez in Madison Square Garden on December 15 for the WBA ‘Regular’ super middleweight title. The fight is the first as part of Canelo’s new deal with sports streaming service DAZN. The fight is being shown exclusively on the platform. The deal is reportedly worth $365 million to Canelo, who also counts Tecate beer and Hennessey cognac among his sponsors.
The fight also represents Fielding’s first ever outside of Europe and Canelo’s first in New York City. Fielding’s first fight outside of the United Kingdom occurred in July 2018 when he defeated Tyron Zeuge in Germany for the WBA ‘Regular’ super middleweight belt.
Fielding is a largely unknown 31-year-old fighter from Liverpool, England. He has two children with his long-time partner, Jessica Hayes. His promoter, Eddie Hearn, negotiated the fight with Canelo’s Golden Boy Promotions. It will see Canelo stepping up a weight class from middleweight for the bout.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Rocky Fielding’s Rise & Name Have Drawn Comparisons to a Certain Fictional Boxer
Rocky Fielding’s rise, from asking Canelo for a selfie in 2017 and doing the Madison Square Garden tourist tour in the same year, to fighting arguably the most famous boxer in the world, has drawn a lot of comparisons. The most notable, considering Fielding’s name, his real name is Michael, is Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky Balboa character. Although considering they appeared in a hilarious Tecate series of commercials, it’s likely that Stallone is Team Canelo.
Fielding told ESPN just before leaving his home city for New York City, “From the start of the year to the end of the year has been crazy. At the start of the year I didn’t know where I was going, I was having no dates. Then I had five weeks’ notice to fight Tyron Zeuge. I was training for six months not knowing what was going on, then I won the title. I heard James DeGale and Chris Eubank’s name being mentioned and when my trainer Jamie Moore rang me I thought he wanted me to spar one of them. Instead, he said Alvarez wanted to fight me.”
2. Canelo Says He’s Not Looking for a 3rd Fight With Gennady Golovkin
Despite the rumors to the contrary, Canelo doesn’t see a fight with Gennady Golovkin in his future. In September, Canelo defeated Golovkin by decision in their second bout in Las Vegas. In the lead up to the Fielding fight, Canelo talked about his victory in an interview with the Los Angeles Times saying, “We wanted to throw more punches, pressure him, hit him more. We accomplished it. He lost his way when I landed those punches in the early rounds. I was better that night.”
Canelo went on to say that he is not chasing a third fight with Triple G saying, “I don’t care what he does. He can do what he wants… I have signed a contract [with DAZN] five years, guaranteed. The important thing is to make the best fights and fo find the perfect combinations to make the best fights.” Although, Canelo did say that if the pair were to meet again, he would be “ready.”
3. Miguel Cotto Says Fielding Will Face Some Punishment
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Legend Miguel Cotto told Heavy.com that while he hasn’t seen Fielding fight, he was still anticipating a great bout. Cotto said, “Canelo is a strong boxer. He’s a powerful boxer. Whoever stands in front of him is going to suffer. [Canelo] made the right training camp.”
Although fellow Liverpool boxer, Tony Bellew, told the Liverpool Echo that Fielding should go into the fight in a confident manner. Bellew said, “In a boxing ring anything can happen, absolutely anything. Let me just tell you, Rocky Fielding will not be as big an outsider as Buster Douglas was against Mike Tyson [42-1]… I’ll be honest with you, he’s up against it. It’s a massive task. If he can make his size and extra power advantage work for him, which I believe he can, then he definitely has a chance. Never write off a scouser.”
4. Fielding Opted to Have His Training Camp Close to Home so He Could Still See His Kids
Twitter/Jessica HayesFielding pictured with his long-term partner Jessica Hayes.
Fielding takes to the ring to face Canelo, 12 weeks after his partner, Jessica, gave birth to the couple’s second child. Fielding told ESPN that he decided to do his training for Canelo close to home. He told the network, “This is better than being away from home.”
Fielding went on, “I did go to Tenerife a few months back and it killed my routine. Now I get home and it’s bedtime, it’s bath time, and I won’t have seen the children since the morning. It makes me bounce out of boxing, I put all my spare time into being a dad. Once I walk into the gym I’m all about boxing, but when I’m home, it’s about being a dad. Don’t get me wrong, I still think about boxing but I have to mix in at home as well and I enjoy it. My daughter is 12 weeks old and I’ve been in a training camp for 10 weeks. So I haven’t held her properly and been out pushing the pram, doing the little things. But when I’m slugging it out and things are getting tough I just think, ‘everything is for the kids.'”
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When speaking about his style in a December 2018 interview with the Daily Mail,ic Fielding said, “Trash talking and that rubbish has never been for me. I always just wanted to put my energy into the ring and into my family. I’ve got a two-year-old boy, Ralphi, and a baby girl, Romi, and Jessica, my girlfriend. I just want to do what I can to get better things for them.”
5. In the Build-Up to the Fight, Alvarez Has Accused Long-Term Rival Floyd Mayweather of ‘Diminishing’ Boxing
Canelo told the media prior to the Fielding fight of his belief that Floyd Mayweather has “diminished” boxing with his various other fights. In August 2017, Mayweather fought UFC star Conor McGregor in a boxing-rules match in Las Vegas. Mayweather won by decision. Later in December 2018, Mayweather announced that he will fight Tenshin Nasukawa, an undefeated kickboxing champion from Japan, in a three-round exhibition fight.
Canelo went on to say that he wants a rematch with Mayweather. Canelo lost to Mayweather in September 2013 by decision. Regardless of Mayweather’s retirement, Canelo wants a rematch. He told the media, “For a long time, since the first loss I had against him, they always ask me [about a second fight with Mayweather], and there’s the thorn in there. I would love to have an opportunity for revenge and be able to show other things at this point in my career. I think with more experience, it would be very different.”
Miguel Cotto told Heavy.com that you have to respect Mayweather because every decision he makes is economical, and “you have to respect that.”
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