Canelo vs Fielding: The (Im)possible Dream

Canelo vs Fielding: The (Im)possible Dream

By Michael Richards

Saturday night sees one of the most unlikely showdowns in recent boxing history, as Liverpool’s Rocky Fielding puts his WBA world title on the line against pound 4 pound superstar, Canelo Alvarez.

The scene of some of boxing’s great fights, including Ali vs Frazier and Lewis vs Holyfield, to earn the chance to headline at ‘The Garden’ is often seen as the pinnacle for many boxers. Canelo is used to this setting and the pressure that comes with such a prestigious battle and its massive pressure. This is new territory for Fielding and opponents don’t come much more daunting than Canelo.

The build up to this fight has been centred round the expectation that Canelo blows Rocky away. He has shown over many years that he carries ferocious power, seeing off other British talents in Amir Khan and Liam Smith in brutal fashion in the process.

Whether he goes for body or head, he’s a huge danger. Combined with his excellent boxing ability, you can understand the overwhelming tag of favourite attached to the Mexican.

The beauty with any bout in boxing is that it only takes one punch to change the course and outcome of a fight. Fielding showed in winning the world title that he carries power, stopping Tyron Zeuge inside five rounds. He is also the naturally taller and in turn bigger man against Canelo. He will be keen to stay behind his jab, using his long levers to keep Alvarez off him and drag the fight out for as long as possible. The longer the fight goes on, the more chance Fielding has to take away the crisp and accurate power reserves of the challenger.

Regardless of the outcome of the fight, massive respect has to be given to Rocky Fielding, for stepping up to the plate and laying it all on the line against one of the top ranked pound 4 pound boxers in world boxing. It’s easy as champion to take voluntary defences against lesser opponents. Rocky wants to create a legacy for himself and there’s no better way than to beat one of the best, at the Mecca of boxing.

The undercard is one of the better ones from the previous few months, with both Tevin Farmer and Katie Taylor defending their world titles against Francisco Fonseca and Eva Wahlstrom respectively. Former world champions David Lemieux and Sadam Ali also feature, in what promises to be a night of world-class boxing and a card befitting the occasion.