Rocky v Alvarez Boxing Preview – Sunday, December 16th – 3.00 am
You are going to have to stay up late on Saturday night to get a glimpse of this much-hyped about. The fight is expected to start at 3.00 am on Sunday morning (UK Time) from New York. England’s Rocky Fielding will be making the first defence of his WBA Super Middleweight title as he takes on the legend that is Saul Alvarez at Madison Square Garden.
Rocky v Alvarez Odds*
Saul Alvarez 1/16
Rocky Fielding 8/1
* (betting odds taken from bet365 December 14th, 2018 at 2:52 pm)
Fielding the underdog
There is little doubt in the bookmakers’ minds about which way this fight is going to go. This is such a step up for Fielding in terms of quality. He is a massive underdog at MSG. Rocky got his hands on the WBA Super Middleweight Title though against the odds. He was the underdog in Germany when he took on the undefeated Tyron Zeuge but Fielding got the win through a knockout in the fifth round. That took his professional career record to 27-1.
The only loss in his career happened against Callum Smith back in 2015, failing to get his hands on the WBC Silver and the then-vacant British Super Middleweight titles. But he has won six fights on the bounce since them and four of those six wins have been by a stoppage. Fifteen of his career wins have been via a knockout. It has already been a terrific year for British boxing if he could pull out a win in this one at 8/1 odds* (betting odds taken from bet365 December 14th, 2018 at 2:52 pm) it would be a spectacular cherry on the cake.
Canelo steps it up
Mexico’s Canelo was last seen causing a huge upset of his own. He took out his rival Gennady Golovkin in a majority decision. That was not a decision without controversy though as many had pegged GGG as having done enough to get the win. Pretty much just as it had been in their first meeting when they drew, and so the world waits to see if the two of them get back in the ring and square up again to settle that score.
For this battle against Rocky, Alvarez is going up in weight. But the Mexican sensation has had no trouble switching divisions before. He has earned titles at Welterweight, Super Welterweight and middleweight. This will be his first ever fight at the Super Middleweight though. He really has nothing to fear, not with a huge 50-1-2 professional fighting career under his belt.
If you look at it really, it’s not a fight Canelo needs. He will be looking at this as easy fodder in order to just get another belt. Alvarez is 1/4 to get the win by knockout* (betting odds taken from bet365 December 14th, 2018 at 2:52 pm)
Prediction
There is a clear gulf in class and experience between these two. This would be a monumental effort from Rocky to upset the odds here. Adding to the problem is that the fight is America and as British fighters now, it’s often hard to get points decisions to go in their favour over there. Rocky is 33/1 to get a points decision* (betting odds taken from bet365 December 14th, 2018 at 2:52 pm). It’s unlikely that Rocky has the power to stop Canelo.
It may all come down to just when Canelo will get the breakthrough and hurt the Englishman. So then the approach to the fight is whether or not Fielding just can stick in there and actually get to the end of the fight. That in and of itself would be seen as something of a win for him against one of the elite fighters in the world.
Saul Alvarez by Decision or Technical Decision is a tempting 7/2 proposition* (betting odds taken from bet365 December 14th, 2018 at 2:52 pm).
