At Madison Square Garden on Saturday, December 15, 2018, Canelo Alvarez (50-1-2, 34 KOs) challenges Rocky Fielding (27-1, 15 KOs) for his WBA Super Middleweight World Title in a scheduled 12-round fight which will stream live on DAZN.
Canelo vs. Rocky kicks off the DAZN and Golden Boy Promotions partnership, which includes up to 10 high-caliber fight nights per year that will stream live on DAZN.
The live broadcast of “Canelo vs. Rocky,” will also be shown in movie theaters nationwide. Fans throughout the U.S. will be able to enjoy the event in more than 500 select movie theaters through Fathom’s Digital Broadcast Network (DBN).
A complete list of theater locations is available on the Fathom Events website (theaters and participants are subject to change).
In a recent visit to his training camp, the WBC, WBA, Lineal and Ring Magazine Middleweight World Champion Alvarez discussed his desire to join a select list of Mexican boxers to become a three-division world champion as he prepares for his bout against Fielding.
Canelo also shared his excitement at fighting at Madison Square Garden in New York City for the first time.
“It fills me with pride to be able to fight at Madison Square Garden,” said Canelo. “I’ve been wanting to fight there for years. To be in such a place where important people such as Muhammad Ali have fought is another landmark in my career. It is an honor to be at an arena like that.”
There have only been a few Mexican fighters to become three-division world champions, and this illustrious list includes pugilists such as Julio Cesar Chavez, Erik “El Terrible” Morales, Marco Antonio “The Baby-Faced Assassin” Barrera and Jorge “El Travieso” Arce.
“It would be a big landmark in my career to be one of fewer than 10 Mexicans to win a world title in three divisions,” said Canelo. “It’s a big challenge for us and an important landmark that I want in my career. I feel really happy for us [my team].”
If Canelo defeats Fielding and joins this list, he would be the only one to become a three-division world champion in a weight class above 140 pounds.
“Like I’ve always said, I’ve always considered myself to be the best and now more so than ever,” said Canelo. “I’m here because of that and because of that motivation to be the best. To be on the pound for pound list or not-that’s something that neither excites me nor upsets me. I’m just happy with what I’ve done and satisfied with what I am doing.”
Fielding is treating this fight like the biggest opportunity of his career and with good reason. He has ramped up his training efforts on home turf as he prepares for the opportunity of a lifetime on Saturday night.
Fielding has assembled the best team to pull off the upset of a career which could take him to the next level in boxing.
“If I win, I’ll be the king of New York and one of the biggest names in the sport overnight,” said Fielding. “I came from nothing and now I’m headlining at MSG. It’s a dream come true, but it’s a job, and the work will be done in the gym in Manchester. There’s a lot of talk about Canelo’s next fight after Dec. 15-that it could be with Danny Jacobs, Demetrius Andrade, the Charlos, or even Callum Smith at Anfield – let them talk. If I take Canelo out, I’ll have a massive fight at Anfield instead.”
Fielding, who recently revealed to ESPN that he first got the news of this fight when he was putting his infant daughter to bed, has the physical advantages over Canelo which were evident during their first face off in NYC.
During that first encounter, Fielding said he was able to get a good look at Canelo and even saw some battle scars from his most recent outing against Gennady Golovkin.
“When we had the face off, the first thing I saw were cuts from the GGG fight which were still fresh,” said Fielding. “Also, there’s no way he’s going to be able to put eight pounds of muscle on since his last fight, but he’s elite and I know that it’s my biggest test. I’m confident, though. I wouldn’t have taken it otherwise. It’s at my weight, and I am big for the weight. I can punch, I’m heavy-handed and I can box.
Fielding, who is a massive underdog, is also experiencing his first training camp as a champion which is a fact that he doesn’t take lightly.
“This is my first camp training as a world champion, and I know that it’s harder to stay as a world champion than become one because it’s like there’s a target on your back. Everything about the fight is big, but we’re away from it all in Manchester. There’s no Madison Square Garden bright lights there, so we’re focused on the plan with [trainer] Jamie Moore.
Will Rocky spring the upset or will Canelo make history in a new division?
Don’t miss the action as Canelo makes his first appearance at the historic Madison Square Garden on Saturday, December 15, challenging Super Middleweight World Champion Rocky Fielding for his title.
Watch: Ak and Barak Sit Down With Canelo Alvarez
