NOBODY expected Rocky Fielding to fight Canelo Alvarez. Not even Rocky Fielding. The Liverpudlian had won a โregularโ or secondary super-middleweight title from the WBA when he beat Tyron Zeuge earlier this year. He thought that might get him a bout with Chris Eubank Jnr, maybe James DeGale, well known fighters in the UK. He did not expect Alvarez, the Mexican superstar fresh off defeating Gennady Golovkin for the WBC and WBA middleweight titles to come calling.
โI had no idea at all,โ Fielding told Boxing News. โDeGaleโs name and Eubankโs name were flying around. Last Wednesday I was lying in bed at half nine and I got a phonecall off Jamie [Moore, his trainer]. I saw his name and I thought it was some sparring for someone. [He said,] โCanelo wants to fight you.โ My belly did a little somersault of excitement. I said, โReally?โ He said yeah, yeah, theyโve been in touch. I just said yeah, letโs do it. Iโm up for it. He said okay, Iโll let them know.โ
โIt went quiet for three or four days,โ he continued. โI was checking my emails every day in case something came through and I was checking twitter for any announcement, just nothing.โ
Then on Friday night he got a text message. In 15 minutes Canelo was going to announce the fight.
โIt was a big shock for everyone in boxing, in the boxing world. Just Canelo stepping up to super-middleweight and picking me to fight. Iโm happy and Iโm up to the challenge,โ Fielding said. โMy phone blew up with messages, it was a good feeling, exciting.โ
As the world was reacting to the news that on December 15 Rocky Fielding would be fighting Canelo Alvarez at Madison Square Garden in New York, the Liverpudlian had more pressing matters in front of him. โAt the same time it was announced my little lad was having a right little fit. I took him to bed, normally heโs nice and quiet and goes to sleep and for some reason he was screaming. I was sitting with him, my phoneโs going off its head, itโs been announced, I had to sit with him,โ Rocky said. But as he watched his son falling asleep he thought to himself, โRight this is it. This is my family and this is what Iโm doing it for.โ
โThe feeling was good,โ he continued. โIโve got to do it for them, Iโve got to pay the bills, Iโve got to look after my kids and my girl. Thatโs what life and this sportโs about. Getting in, getting out, achieving what youโre going to achieve basically, as much as you can. My life after this will be making sure that my kids are secure and are going to get a good life out of what I can provide for them. It was everything.โ
It is a life changing event. โBut before even that got mentioned, it was Canelo wants the fight, sound, yeah, letโs do it. Without the rest of it. But I knew fighting him itโs going to be. It was life changing,โ he said. โIโve got two kids. It was the biggest purse Iโm probably going to get now. I beat him then itโs off the scale. But itโs life changing.โ
As dangerous as Canelo is, Fielding did not hesitate when it came to accepting this fight. โThere was no turning it down. Fighting on a big undercard in London is great but fighting in Madison Square Garden, what would you rather do?โ he said. โIt was a no brainer.โ
โI was there three years ago doing a tour with my girlfriend around Madison Square Garden and I got a picture outside, saying one day, do you know what I mean? Not even slightly even thinking I would. I just put one day, every fighterโs dream is to fight at Madison Square Garden, I just put one day, not even thinking. I went to a basketball game, in the upper tier I was looking down thinking imagine fighting here. All the stars that were there, Lebron James was playing,โ he recalled. โThen three years later Iโm getting a phonecall about fighting the biggest fighter in the world.โ
Fielding has come a long way. โI turned pro I didnโt have a promoter. It was just me and Oliver [Harrison and] my manager. I was on Oliverโs shows. My debut was in Salford Sports Centre. I even jumped on the double decker bus on my way home with my fans. I boxed at Preston night clubs. I went from having no backing or anything like that, to going to Madison Square Garden. Iโve had a few setbacks,โ he said. โIโve worked through it all and just kept positive.โ
He has no illusions about the scale of the task facing him, saying, โHeโs the face of boxing at the minute, heโs pound for pound for the best. [Then] thereโs me. He wants to fight me. Itโs a challenge. Itโs what Iโm in boxing for. Fighting the best in the world at Madison Square Garden, regardless of anything. Itโs a big, big ask and a big challenge. But anything can be done in boxing. Heโs coming up a weight and Iโm big for the weight. Itโs every fighterโs dream. To fight the best, to be the best youโve got to fight the best and to top it off at Madison Square Gardenโฆ Itโs surreal.โ
Rocky warned, โIโm going as a champion, Iโm not going because Iโm fighting Canelo at Madison Square Garden. Iโve got to put that at the back of my head now and train to win, train to beat Canelo and for the next 10 weeks now Iโve got to put myself through it to do it.
โHe is a complete elite fighter, experienced, 50 fights, heโs only lost to Mayweather, turned pro when he was 15. So Iโm up against it and I know that. But if I can stick to what Iโm good at, I can do it. Iโm not going there to lie down.โ
Key for Fielding will be his size advantage. Alvarez has only fought above middleweight once, when he boxed Julio Cesar Chavez Jnr at 164lbs in 2017. It was a frustrating fight in which a largely negative Chavez took Canelo the distance. โ[Chavez at 164lbs,] he must have been really struggling for that, and the style that Chavez has, he sits there in the pocket and fights there. So I can take a little bit out of that. When he [Alvarez] has stepped up to middleweight, Golovkin he went the distance with,โ Fielding noted. โHis knockouts have been at the light-middleweight, which heโs a beast at. But I take little things. Itโs probably a challenge for him stepping up and itโs a big challenge for me. So we should clash well and see what comes of it.
โIโm going to be a lot bigger height-wise and everything. Thatโll be an advantage. Iโll let Jamie and Nigel [Travis] come up with the gameplan but Jamie will study Canelo, he probably has already because heโs probably a fan as well and come back with something. Iโll take it, weโll work together on it. Heโs small, short, heโs much smaller than me, heโs shorter so thereโs no point trading with him toe-to-toe. Iโve just got to use my advantages in height and being the natural super-middleweight whereas heโs not.
โAnything can happen on the night. If I catch him, Iโve got the power.โ
He added, โIโll have to keep whatโs worked the last couple of fights. The gymโs buzzing with [Carl] Frampton, Martin [Murray], theyโve all got fights coming up in December so everyoneโs working hard, pushing each other on. The campโs good at the minute.โ
The next step will be a press conference in New York and going face-to-face with the most famous man in the sport. โIโm going to enjoy that as well. Iโll have to go buy a nice suit. Iโve only got one from the babyโs Christening,โ Fielding laughed. โEverythingโs changing [but] Iโll stick to who I am and what I do.โ
Fielding has been plucked from an ordinary life to be a part of one of the biggest fights in the sport. It is a real life Rocky story.