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16th Oct 2018

Liverpool’s Rocky Fielding towers over ‘Canelo’ Alvarez in New York face-off

No doubt about who has the size advantage

Darragh Murphy

They say size isn’t everything but it’s definitely something.

Rocky Fielding is looking forward to welcoming one of the pound-for-pound greatest fighters in the world to the super-middleweight division.

Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez is set to move up to 168lbs in an attempt to prise the WBA (Regular) super-middleweight title away from Liverpool’s Fielding.

Fresh from providing Gennady Golovkin with the first defeat of his professional career, ‘Canelo’ is looking for a new challenge and he will certainly get that in the form of Fielding, who stands four inches taller than the Mexican.

Fight fans knew that Fielding would be the bigger man in the ring on December 15 but the full extent of the size difference surprised plenty when the pair stood side by side for the first time since the bout was announced.

Both men involved in the main event at Madison Square Garden have only tasted defeat once in the ring and while ‘Canelo’ is considered a significant 1/20 favourite, Fielding is confident that he will be able to make his size advantage count.

“This means everything to me. This is why I’m in boxing. It’s a dream to fight at Madison Square Garden against one of the most popular fighters in the world of boxing. I am aware that it is a great challenge, but I am prepared for it. We are in sports for these nights. I grew up watching the big fights on television and after many years I’ll be in one of them,” Fielding told ESPN Deportes last week.

“The odds are going to be against me. He is the biggest star in boxing and has only lost with Floyd Mayweather. It is one of the greats. But he has not been beyond 160lbs. He’s a big super welter, but he’s definitely not a big middleweight and he’s definitely not a big super middleweight. I am much bigger and taller. It will be a good challenge for him because he’s coming up and it’s a good challenge for me because he’s an elite fighter.

“He has a lot of experience, with more than 50 professional fights. He has faced some of the biggest names. I have to execute the strategy that Jamie Moore tells me and use all my advantages in the best possible way. I know it will be a hard night’s work, but I will be prepared.”