Canelo Alvarez (50-1-2, 34 KOs) sent the boxing world into a frenzy and effectively changed the game by signing an 11-fight deal worth $365 million dollar with DAZN to exclusively have the rights to show his fights on their streaming platform moving forward.
That deal represents the largest contract in sports history.
Yes you read that right, not just in boxing, but in any sport. The first fight for Canelo in his new partnership with DAZN will be December 15 when he takes on WBA Regular Super Middleweight champion Rocky Fielding (27-1, 15 KOs).
Canelo and Fielding kicked off their press conference today in New York City. There was a much different feeling when compared to his previous fight press conference with Gennady Golovkin.
There was no animosity between the two, but more of a healthy respect. As the two faced off, the disparity in size was glaring. Alvarez is, after all, coming up in weight from the Middleweight division to Super Middleweight, but the size gap was enormous.
Despite the difference in size, Canelo is viewed as the prohibitive favorite. Fielding to his credit won’t be looking at himself as an underdog, nor does he believe Canelo has many advantages over him physically. He did concede however that this is a big event and that Canelo may have the edge there.
“He’s been in these big fights before,” said Fielding to a huge group of reporters gathered around him. “He’s been in my position getting that step up to stardom kind of thing. This is me now. I’m not looking too much into it, but I’m just gonna get ready for the 15th.”
The notion of this simply being an easy fight for Canelo has been thoroughly dismissed. He understands the challenges that Fielding presents along with moving up in class. He will be looking to grab his third belt in a different division and continue to make boxing history.
“For me it’s a challenge,” said Canelo as he addressed both the media and his screaming fans. “It’s a new challenge to move up a division. We know the challenge we have in front of us and we’re going to train real hard to enter the history of Mexican boxing.”
This should be a great matchup. Canelo is seemingly by far the superior fighter, but he is moving up in weight class while also giving up four inches in height and three inches in reach.
Fielding, believe it or not, has the physical tools to beat Canelo. It may not seem likely but he does have a path to success. As the press conference wrapped up both fighters shook hands and thanked the crowd for their support.
Fight number one of his massive 11-fight deal will begin on December 15. DAZN is proving that it is truly a major player in the sport of boxing. We can always expect Canelo to be involved in an exciting fight so get ready for fireworks. It should be a good one.
All photos by Brant Wilson/Round By Round Boxing
