THE tiniest of blemishes almost denied Rocky Fielding a seven figure pay day and would have called off the Canelo Alvarez fight mere days before it was due to take place.
A tiny tear in his passport photo almost saw Fielding denied a visa to travel to America and box Canelo on Saturday (December 15) at Madison Square Garden in New York.
โHe applied for a visa, so he got a letter. He went about a month ago, went in, had the interview, got the visa, got approved for the visa. They took the passport off him, said okay weโll get it stamped and send it back to you. Last Monday [December 3] we get a letter back from the passport agency saying your visa has been denied because there was a tear – you couldnโt even see the tear – but thereโs a tear on the page. We were told you need to get a new passport send it back and then it can take anywhere from three days to two weeks once you get it back and the fights in 11 days,โ Fieldingโs promoter Eddie Hearn said. โThey had his passport and they approved the visa in front of him, then when he went away, they looked at it and said actually no.โ
Two weeks for have been too long for Fielding to make it to the US for the fight. โMonday afternoon he sends it to the embassy, special delivery to arrive on Tuesday. Weโre tracking it. Tuesday at midday comes around and itโs still says out for delivery. Gets to 5pm and it still says out for delivery. We [wanted to] go down to Battersea to the Royal Mail, just to collect the passport,โ Hearn continued. โThey said you canโt do that but it should be delivered tomorrow. Wednesday [December 5] itโs George Bushโs funeral, theyโve closed the embassy. They tried to deliver the visa on Wednesday and itโs shut.โ
โ[Now] the Royal Mail are saying we donโt know where it is, it should be delivered to the embassy in the next five days. Weโre like this is over. So Thursday it arrives at the embassy,โ Eddie continued. โWe spoke to people out here, I think the senator of New York was called and on Friday afternoon [December 7] at about four oโclock we got a call to say weโve found it. He was supposed to fly on Friday. He got it Friday night and changed his flight to Saturday [December 8].โ
The whole fight was so close to falling apart that Hearn had to warn Golden Boy Promotions. โAs of Thursday [December 6] as far as I was concerned, this fight wasnโt happening,โ Hearn said. โI said to Golden Boy, โI donโt want to worry you but you may have to look at another opponent because this is not looking good.โ It was a very hairy last week.โ
The situation however was resolved in the nick of time. Rocky had his new passport, his flight rebooked for the Saturday, a week before he was due to box. Only,ย he left his passport at homeย when he left for the airport.
โWhen he went to the airport on Saturday, he forgot his passport. Left it in his house,โ Hearn noted.ย โYou couldnโt make it up. Had to go back from Manchester airport to go and get the passport.โ
The fight, suffice to say, is on. Rocky Fielding fights Canelo Alvarez at Madison Square Garden tomorrow.