I’M A SAUL SURVIVOR

Rocky is down but not out

ROCKY FIELDING has vowed to return to the top – despite a crushing defeat at the hands of superstar champion Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez.

The Liverpool super-middleweight surrendered his WBA ‘regular’ title after he was knocked down four times before being stopped for good in the third round.

The monstrous Mexican chopped down the much taller Fielding with savage body shots in a one-sided fight at a sold out Madison Square Garden in New York.

But the Scouse scrapper insists he can come back from the comprehensive defeat – just like he did when he lost to local rival Callum Smith in 2015.

“I never shied away from the challenge,” Fielding said. “I dared to be great. I lived the dream, but I’ll come again. I’ll come back.

“With my background and where I have come from, to get here and in with Canelo is an achievement.

“He’s the best I’ve fought – speed, power, footwork, defence, everything.”

Fielding made the mistake of trying to stand toe-to-toe with Alvarez, which played into the hands of the more skilful WBA and WBC middleweight champion.

“He does everything well,” said Fielding. “I knew I couldn’t switch off and had to be on my game. I stood there too long. I thought I could mix it with him and I shouldn’t have.

“You’ve seen the height of me compared to him, I should have kept it long.

“But I just stood there with someone who’s elite and who’s strong and he caught me. I gave it everything and the better man won.”

Genuine

Fielding believes Alvarez could mix it with any top super-middleweight after he made his debut in the division against the Brit.

The Mexican now has the secondary WBA title but the man regarded as the sanctioning body’s full champion is Fielding’s old foe Smith, who beat George Groves earlier this year. Alvarez would need to defeat Smith for his claims of being a genuine three-weight world champion to be true.

But for now he is expected to return to middleweight to defend his belts at that weight, with a third fight with Gennady Golovkin or a unification with IBF champion Daniel Jacobs the most likely for a May 4 date in Las Vegas.

“We will sit down and discuss the next move,” said Alvarez after his 51st win.

¬ÊIreland’s Katie Taylor cruised to a comfortable points win to hand Finland’s Eva Wahlstrom her first defeat and retain her WBA and IBF lightweight titles.

Taylor is now eyeing up clashes with Puerto Rico’s Amanda Serrano and Norway’s Cecilia Braekhus next year.