Alvarez set to make his debut at Garden
THREE months after a victory in the biggest fight of his career, Canelo Alvarez is ready for another milestone: his first appearance at Madison Square Garden.
The middleweight champion from Guadalajara, Mexico, will move up in weight Saturday night to challenge Rocky Fielding of England for Fielding’s WBA super middleweight title. DAZN will live-stream the fight.
A victory would give Alvarez a world championship in three divisions. He already has captured belts at 154 and 160 pounds.
“It’s very important to be on the list of about 10 Mexicans to become three-division world champions,” Alvarez said. “That’s why I’m here taking on this important fight.”
Alvarez captured the WBA, WBC and linear middleweight titles with a majority decision over Gennady “GGG” Golovkin on Sept. 15 in Las Vegas. It was a rematch of their first meeting a year earlier, which ended in a split draw. Alvarez became a network free-agent after the rematch and soon became the highest paid athlete in sports by signing a five-year, $365 million contract to fight exclusively on DAZN. Saturday’s bout is the first in the new deal.
“Canelo Alvarez will experience a lot of firsts,” said Alvarez’s promoter, Oscar De La Hoya of Golden Boy Promo- tions. “His first fight in the Mecca of Boxing at MSG, the first fight of this historical contract with DAZN and his first time traveling to the 168-pound weight class as he looks to make history as part of a small list of Mexican fighters to become a three-division world champion.”
The year is ending much better than it began for Alvarez. His rematch with Golovkin was initially scheduled for May, but had to be postponed until September after Alvarez tested positive for the banned substance Clenbuterol. He blamed the dirty test on his consumption of contaminated meat in Mexico, but was eventually suspended for six months by the Nevada Athletic Commission.
His reputation took a hit. But he passed all tests leading up to the rescheduled rematch and looked strong and determined in beating the previously undefeated Golovkin. Now he has the richest contract for an athlete in sports history and is ending the year with a chance to capture his third title at Madison Square Garden.
“It was a year of a lot of learning,” Alvarez said. “Even though it may have had a bad start, there was more good than bad. I’ve always known who I am, and I hold my head up high. I learned a lot in my personal and professional life.”
Alvarez (50-1-2 with 34 KOs) is a 10-to-1 favorite over Fielding (27-1, 15 KOs), a native of Liverpool, England. Fielding captured his 168-pound title in July by stopping Tyron Zeuge of Germany in the fifth round with a body shot and now has an opportunity to raise his profile by beating Alvarez.
“This is everything that I’ve ever dreamt of — fighting a pound-for-pound star at Madison Square Garden for my world title,” Fielding, 31, said. “I can really punch. Everyone knows that. Let’s see what happens when I catch him clean.”
Alvarez, who retains his middleweight belts, insists he isn’t underestimating Fielding, who is fighting for the first time in the United States.
“No fight is easy,” Alvarez, 28, said. “It’s not a secret that I’m a better fighter and that I’m more experienced. But I’m taking a risk by entering into a comfort zone of a champion and his weight. That’s a risk. I’m prepared for a hard fight.”
Meanwhile, former middleweight champion David Lemieux was scratched from the card after being hospitalized Friday for a severe case of dehydration. Lemieux (40-4, 34 KOs) was to face Tureano Johnson (20-2, 14 KOs) in the featured undercard bout. Still scheduled to appear are former junior middleweight champion Sadam Ali from Brooklyn and Katie Taylor of England defending her IBF/ WBA women’s lightweight title.