PASSPORT DRAMA FAILS TO KNOCK OUT ROCKY
ROCKY FIELDING almost missed the biggest fight, richest pay night and greatest honour of his career because of a tear in a page of his passport. Liverpool’s world supermiddleweight champion was approved for a US visa to fly here for tomorrow night’s star-spangled fight with Canelo Alvarez in the historic Madison Square Garden. But when he turned up at the embassy in London to collect it at the end of last week he was told it could not be stamped into a passport with a torn photograph page. A frantic scramble to rush through a new passport and reissue the visa only just beat the deadline for Fielding’s departure for New York. To cap it all he forgot the passport as he set off for the airport, had to dash back home to pick it up and nearly missed his flight. ‘Thank goodness we made it in the end,’ Fielding said as he and Canelo prepared to come face-to-face at the final media conference before their fight for Fielding’s WBA regular world title. ‘It was almost a disaster.’ Promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed how close they were to to being forced to pull out: ‘I was telling Rocky it would be OK, but at one point I thought it was all over,’ he said. ‘With the fight nine days away we were told the new passport and visa might take 10 days. ‘I had to call Oscar De La Hoya and warn him they might have to find another opponent for Canelo. As it was we had to put his flight back a day.’ Failure to fast track the formalities would have cost Fielding his first million pound-plus purse but he was more concerned about losing this chance to top the bill at the Mecca of boxing. He said: ‘This is a massive honour. Unbelievable to me when I was first told Canelo would fight me in the Garden.’ There were gasps at how the 6ft 1in Fielding towers over his distinguished but only 5ft 8in Mexican challenger. Rocky said: ‘I believe I can make my advantages in size and reach count.’ Alvarez added: ‘I’m an elite fighter and as usual I will adapt as needed.’