Liverpudlian super middleweight Rocky Fielding rose to the challenge of a bout with the formidable Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez at Madison Square Garden with short notice and was given a brutal reality check by the Mexican there last night.
Canelo dropped Fielding four times in the opening three rounds before a final bodyshot dropped the Englishman to his knees and cost him his WBA belt.
His opponent, the unified middleweight champion, now becomes a three-weight world champion.
But Fielding, while he was of course overmatched, rued the folly of his standing and trading with the stockier Canelo, rather than using his height advantage to maintain range.
“I never shied away from the challenge,” Rocky said afterwards. “I dared to be great. I lived the dream but I’ll come again. I’ll come back.”
“He’s strong. I was catching him with some shots but he kept coming forward. The body shots, it was more like the wind was getting took.”
“I stood there too long. I thought I could mix it with him and I shouldn’t have,” Rocky lamented.
“You’ve seen the height of me compared to him, I should have kept it long. But I just stood there with someone who’s elite and who’s strong and he caught me. I gave it everything and the better man won.”
He continued: “I never kept it long. I just stood there. He’s an elite fighter, he’s a great fighter. It was his night.
“He got me.”
Take a look at the wince-worthy final blow below.
📖Fight Report:
