Alvarez vs Fielding: Rocky Fielding says Saul Alvarez still had lingering cuts from Gennady Golovkin fight
"The first thing I saw were cuts from the 'GGG' fight which were still fresh."
Thursday 29 November 2018 12:05, UK
Rocky Fielding has questioned whether Saul Alvarez's body will 'hold up' after spotting cuts on 'Canelo' during a pre-fight face-off.
The Liverpudlian makes the first defence of his WBA 'regular' super-middleweight title against Alvarez in New York on December 15, live on Sky Sports, only three months after the Mexican star completed a punishing rematch win over Gennady Golovkin.
And Fielding spotted lingering signs of that battle on Alvarez when they posed for pictures a few months ago.
"When we had the face off, the first thing I saw were cuts from the 'GGG' fight which were still fresh," said Fielding.
"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."
The British fighter is full of respect for 'Canelo', who strengthened his status as one of the world's pound-for-pound best with back-to-back points wins over Golovkin.
"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," said Fielding, who stopped Tyron Zeuge to take the title in July.
Will his body hold up through another camp after that war?
"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].
"Canelo doesn't make many mistakes, so we're going to have to draw those mistakes out of him. He boxed in a 12-round war in September and now he's gone into another camp to box me in December. Will his body hold up through another camp after that war?"
Future fights for Alvarez have already been discussed, including a possible clash against British rival Callum Smith, but Fielding intends to fulfil ambitious plans of his own.
He said: "If I win, I'll be the king of New York and one of the biggest names in the sport overnight. 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 December 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."
