Canelo needs to be sharp: Oscar

New York: Promoter Oscar de la Hoya is ‘a little worried’ for Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez as the Mexican prepares to take on Briton Rocky Fielding in New York tomorrow.

Alvarez, 28, will move up to super-middleweight, where Fielding holds a minor version of the WBA world title.

The Mexican has won world titles at lightmiddleweight and still holds two of the four belts at middleweight.

“The fact he is moving up in weight is dangerous,” said De la Hoya. “Fielding is naturally big.”

He told BBC Sport: “If a fighter feels comfortable that he will win easily, against a guy who no-one knows, it can be very dangerous. “Canelo has to be sharp, focused and in shape, because Rocky is coming in with everything and has nothing to lose.

“I am a little worried about this fight, but I think it will be great.”

Alvarez starts at 1-20 with some bookmakers despite being the challenger at Madison Square Garden as he moves up 8lb.

It is a first contest for Alvarez since he beat Gennady Golovkin at middleweight in September and his first since signing a £278m five-year fight deal.

De la Hoya and his Golden Boy Promotions partner Bernard Hopkins claim the contract makes Alvarez the highest paid athlete in any sport, with former boxer Floyd Mayweather now retired.

“To say ‘the biggest contract in boxing’ is kind of undermining how significant this deal is. We are talking about the NBA, NFL, golf - it’s the biggest deal,” former world champion Hopkins told BBC Sport.

De la Hoya added: “Canelo has a lot on his plate - he has to deliver and that is exactly what we are going to do.

“He is still young at 28 and has a lot of great fights to come. In the end, he may be one of the top three in the history of Mexican boxing - so Canelo is on his way.”

Should Alvarez win in his first outing at 168lb, he would claim the WBA ‘regular’ world title. Liverpool’s Callum Smith holds the more coveted ‘super’ title.