In July 2018, Rocky Fielding scored the biggest win of his career by defeating Tyrone Zuge in Germany. The Liverpool native won the WBA “regular” super middleweight title with a fifth-round TKO.
Two months later, in a long-awaited rematch in Las Vegas, Canelo Alvarez defeated rival Gennady Golovkin to retain his two middleweight world titles. However, the Mexican dreamed of dropping a little into super middleweight territory before moving back up to 160 pounds.
Fielding was chosen as his opponent. On December 15, 2018, in Madison, New York, at his Square Garden, “Rocky the Stocky” has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and is about to pay dearly for a seemingly impossible task.
Ahead of Canelo's undisputed super middleweight title defense against Jaime Munguia on Saturday (May 4), Boxing News digs into the archives to bring you John Dennen's report on Canelo's first fight at 168 pounds. do.
Original headline: King of New York – Canelo Alvarez crushes Rocky Fielding
There are lessons we learned. Fighting Saul “Canelo” Alvarez was a painful experience. Only the elite of the sport will succeed against him. Rocky Fielding is a solid fighter, a big super middleweight who packs a punch. But even though Canelo had progressed beyond his natural division, he was too good, too fast, and too relentless.
He didn't give Fielding any room to move or breathe. He forced Fielding to play his game and did everything at breakneck speed.
Rocky started jabbing, opening up a left lead and trying to push Alvarez away. But soon Canelo sided with him.
Every time the two sides went head-to-head, the Englishman towered over Alvarez until the referee's final instructions before the first gong. Fielding looked really huge. But it made no difference. Canelo burst through the gap between them, absorbing all the ring space and oxygen, robbing Rocky of the wind. A powerful left hook hit Fielding in the side, and the Liverpool forward was hit in the knee in the first round.
It was a disastrous start. Fielding needs to start with confidence, imposing himself on Alvarez and using his size as a warning to create any doubt in the Mexican's mind that he is an unwelcome guest at super middleweight. I had to try. Instead, it was Canelo who dictated all the terms from the beginning.
Fielding, who was nursing a knee early on, might have collapsed at this point. However, he could not stand up immediately. He caught his breath, watched referee Ricky Gonzalez count, then stood up and watched the rest of the first round. When he sat down in his chair at the first break of the contest, trainer Jamie Moore told him to breathe.
Fielding could not afford to lose his cool. He had to take his time getting used to the rarefied atmosphere of elite competition. But Alvarez wasn't going to give it to him. He showed solid defense in the second round as well.
Canelo landed a right hook to the body of Rocky. Fielding was only fighting to get rid of Alvarez. The Englishman was quick to shoot. There was no shape or form to the punches Canelo threw, and they handcuffed the Mexican. Another nasty left hook lands on the outside of Rocky's elbow and hits him in the ribs. In response, the Briton drove a left hook into Alvarez's head. But up close, Canelo's right uppercut was almost a shot of beauty. It shook Rocky's head back with savage authority.
Fielding had to move him back and take him off the inside, and Canelo's work there was very efficient. But Alvarez was comfortable in the pocket and locked on to his targets. Again his left hook landed to the body and the Brit fell to his knees.
Rocky was brave. he stood up. He continued to fight until the third round. He started the session with combinations, attacking Saul with a right uppercut and a left hook. The Mexican hit his jab high, touching Rocky's guard, and Canelo's right hook slammed into the body again. Fighting the pressure, Fielding let go of his hand and fired a straight one-two. He launched a jab, extended his left arm in front of him, then stepped in and put his hand out to keep Canelo in the clinch.
Fielding hooked a right, then a left. He continued to punch his tormentor. But Canelo erased that rally. As Rocky retreated toward the ropes, Alvarez's right hook swung high. It decapitated Rocky's head and the weight of the punch knocked Fielding off his feet and back to the canvas.
Fielding was perplexed. His mouth hung open, as if he were going to scream out in frustration. he was looking for answers. But nothing was scheduled.
There's a truth in boxing that the good big man beats the good little man. Fielding was big, but not good enough, at least against this opponent. There's another lesson he learned. It is often repeated, but it can only be learned by doing. There are levels in this sport. Canelo was too good for him, even with his inferior height and reach.
Reality hit. There are no Christmas miracles, and Rocky's victory is for the movies. Alvarez ended the lesson with the same punches he started it with. His left delivered an uppercut, but he only hooked him to the body from the same fist. There was a thunderclap and Fielding was knocked down again for the fourth time in three rounds. That was enough. Referee Gonzalez finished the game with a score of 2-38.
The unnecessary judges were Eric Marlinsky, John Mackay, and Kevin Morgan.
“I knew everything about where I was,” Rocky said sadly. “I tried to fight back, but I got caught. I dared to be great. I lived the dream. I'll be back. I'll be back.”
“That next level power, he's got it. The timing, the speed. He's composing his shots well. I think he can pair up with any super middleweight,” Fielding continued. “I stood there too long. I thought I could try and combine it with him. I shouldn't have. You see how tall I am compared to him, right? Hold on too long. I should have left. I was standing there with someone who was elite and strong. I gave it my all.”
Canelo was ruthless, as all great fighters should be. “He made a mistake by starting to interact with me,” said the Mexican, with a hint of his ruthless ferocity. “That’s what we worked on, working hard to get in shape and thank God that everything worked out.”
Alvarez overcame a controversial close fight with Gennady Golovkin to emerge as the king of the sport. His year began with him facing a short suspension after traces of clenbuterol from contaminated beef were detected in his body. His first fight in New York ended with a sold-out Madison Square Garden and launched a huge broadcast deal with DAZN that now makes him the highest-paid active boxer in the world. Winning Rocky's WBA sub-super middleweight title means Alvarez also considers himself a three-division world champion.
Canelo said with a smile, “I'm really happy to be able to write my name in history.''