NEW YORK — After spending much of his career fighting on the West Coast, Saul "Canelo" Alvarez decided to move up to super middleweight for his New York City debut in an effort to capture another world title.
Mission accomplished.
Taking his talents to the legendary Madison Square Garden for the first time, Canelo (51-1-2, 35 KOs) dropped Rocky Fielding (27-2, 15 KOs) four times en route to a third-round TKO to become the WBA (Regular) super middleweight champion in front of a sold-out crowd of 20,112.
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The bout with Fielding served as the first fight of Canelo's historic five-year, $365 million deal with sports streaming service DAZN.
It was an absolutely savage display of body punching as Canelo wasted little time rearranging the intestines of the taller Fielding, who held a six-inch height advantage. That was literally the only advantage that Fielding had as he was a heavy betting underdog against the man who recently became the unified WBA (Super), WBC, Ring Magazine and lineal middleweight champion by defeating Gennady "GGG" Golovkin in September. Try as he might, Fielding had absolutely no answers for Canelo's power.
It was evident from the outset that Fielding was overmatched as Canelo rumbled forward and immediately sank wicked hooks to the torso of the Liverpool, England, fighter. A hefty Mexican presence at MSG roared for Canelo with every power shot landed. Fielding attempted to fight off his Mexican opponent, but the tank was rolling on this night and there was no way to stop it from crushing what was in front of him.
A left hook to the body during an exchange put Fielding on a knee in the first round. Although he would rise, he wore a look on his face that was intent on survival rather than defending his title. It was only a matter of time until Canelo tore the title from his grip.
The second round was more of the same with Canelo dedicating his attack to the body and Fielding having zero answers for the punishment. His only defense was to fight back, but that left him open to more body shots. Yet another hook to the body yielded the same result, as Fielding grimaced and took a knee.
If nothing else, Fielding had guts — despite Canelo trying to beat them out of him. Fielding made it out of the second frame and threw caution to the wind in the third round and sought a fight-altering power shot.
No dice.
Another exchange saw Canelo wrap a right hook around the Englishman's gloves and put him on the canvas. Perhaps stunned that the shot came to the head, Fielding shook it off and got to his feet with his hands held high. Canelo raced forward and plunged one last hook to the body following a shot to the head. Fielding was down again and the referee mercifully called a halt to the bout at the 2:38 mark.
The highly decorated 28-year-old from Guadalajara, Mexico, adds another trophy to his case, but it is expected that he'll move back down to middleweight for his next fight, which is slated for Cinco De Mayo weekend in Las Vegas. The opponent is unknown, but there are plenty of options. Until then, Canelo can celebrate his accolades and await his next opponent.
Canelo vs. Rocky: Live updates, scoring
Round 3 (11:57 p.m.): The tank known as Canelo Alvarez has come, seen and absolutely conquered. Try as he might, Rocky Fielding couldn't avoid the thunderous power and was sent down a third time with a right hook to the head. He would rise, but a hook and body shot combination absolutely decimated him. The referee has seen enough and it's over. Canelo is a three-division world champion. Time of stoppage was 2:38.
Round 2 (11:54 p.m.): Rocky does his best to fight off Canelo, but the body work is just too much. He's rearranging Rocky's insides and puts him down with another hook to the body.
Round 1 (11:49 p.m.): Canelo wastes little time tearing into Rocky's body. Rocky does his best to fight back and has a little success when Canelo's back is on the ropes, but a wicked left hook to the body puts Rocky down early. There's a minute left and Canelo is sinking body shots at a freakish rate. This won't last long but Rocky survives. 10-8, Canelo.
11:41 p.m. : There were questions about the support Canelo would get fighting in New York. Those questions have been answered: Madison Square Garden has come unhinged for the entrance of Canelo Alvarez.
11:34 p.m.: The national anthems are complete and the fighters are heading to the ring. It's time for the main event between Canelo Alvarez and Rocky Fielding.
Tevin Farmer outboxes Francisco Fonseca to retain super featherweight title by unanimous decision
11:15 p.m.: The scores are in and Farmer takes the unanimous decision with scores of 117-111, 117-111 and 117-111.
11:11 p.m. : Twelve rounds down and Farmer will likely retain his title as he thoroughly outboxed Fonseca. Farmer did try to score a knockout, but Fonseca certainly wasn't one to be taken likely. However, he simply couldn't match Farmer's skills and should suffer the second loss of his professional career.
11:03 p.m.: Despite likely having a big lead on the scorecards, Tevin Farmer is still in search of a knockout. He has landed some hard shots on Fonseca in the 10th round that have briefly wobbled his opponent, but nothing that has come close to putting him down.
10:55 p.m .: As we enter the ninth round, Farmer is in control of the fight. He continues to drill the body, but is also adding pressure to his approach, which has allowed him to find success on the inside with close- quarter uppercuts and hooks. Fonseca just hasn't been able to knock Farmer off his square.
10:44 p.m.: Anthony Joshua just left the broadcast booth to head backstage. Just a few feet away is Jarrell "Big Baby" Miller. Miller stared in Joshua's direction for an uncomfortably long time. Joshua was unaware of his presence, but it sure would have been interesting if he did. Meanwhile, Farmer is finding his groove and continues to land shots to the body with the occasional uppercut or hook to the head. Fonseca's game, but he needs to alter his strategy after six rounds.
10:38 p.m. : Farmer and Fonseca are turning up the pressure a bit more and exchanging leather in close quarters. But it's Farmer's dedication to the body that is likely earning him these rounds.
10:31 p.m. : Two rounds down and Farmer is slowly finding a rhythm. He's attacking the body of Fonseca with hooks and looking to bring his opponent's hands down. So far, so good.
10:17 p.m. : The co-main is up next. Tevin Farmer (27-4-1, 6 KOs) defends his IBF super featherweight title against Francisco Fonseca (22-1-1, 16 KOs). Farmer-Fonseca moved up to the co-feature after David Lemieux fainted before hitting the scales yesterday for his fight against Tureano Johnson.
Sadam Ali takes an uneventful decision over Mauricio Herrera
10:09 p.m. : After 10 rounds, we head to the scorecards. Neither fighter was particularly sharp, but Sadam Ali takes the unanimous decision with scores of 100-90, 99-91 and 98-92.
9:58 p.m. : As the seats continue to fill at MSG, it's a little surprising that the fans haven't joined together in a chorus of boos. It's just not a great action fight between Ali and Herrera.
9:50 p.m.: After six rounds, Ali vs. Hererra isn't anything to write home about. Ali is likely up on the scorecards due to his spurts of activity and ability to land the cleaner punches. Herrera refuses to take many risks and just isn't doing enough to win the fight at this point.
9:41 p.m.: As expected, Herrera isn't making life easy for Ali. It's a slow evolving chess match that has going the distance written all over it. After four rounds, neither fighter has been able to get a true edge on the other. Fans are also getting antsy considering the excitement they just had with the Ryan Garcia fight.
9:27 p.m.: Jarrell "Big Baby" Miller has taken his seat ringside. Anthony Joshua isn't too far away. The last time these two were in the same place, bad blood began to boil. Miller posted this on his Instagram and we spoke with Joshua earlier — he's not about the disrespect. This could get interesting.
9:18 p.m.: Up next will be Sadam Ali (26-2, 14 KOs) looking to bounce back from his loss to Jaime Munguia when he faces the always tough Mauricio Herrera (24-7, 7 KOs).
Ryan Garcia stops the clowning of Braulio Rodriguez with brutal 5th round KO
9:04 p.m. : All the smiling and low blows in the world couldn't help Rodriguez, as Garcia cuts loose a hellacious right hand and a follow-up barrage that sends Rodriguez to the canvas. It all started with a right hook around the gloves, followed by another assault where a left hand landed flush. His goose was finally cooked. The best thing about it was that Rodriguez never stopped smiling through the 10 count. Time of stoppage was 1:14.
8:58 p.m .: After three rounds, Garcia is in control, but Rodriguez continues to clown around. To make matters worse, Rodriguez can't stop hitting Garcia low. Near the end of the third, Rodriguez is deducted a point for low blows. It's very early for this and Rodriguez could get himself disqualified if he doesn't clean up his act.
8:50 p.m. : Garcia smashes Rodriguez with a left hand that sends his opponent's eyes rolling into the back of his head in the first round. Rodriguez was clearly hurt, but smiled when he got back to his feet. The fun and games are over. Garcia is looking for the kill.
8:43 p.m. : Ryan Garcia (16-0, 13 KOs) enters to a huge ovation from the crowd. He's set to face Braulio Rodriguez (19-3, 17 KOs), who comes out in a mask while blowing kisses to the fans. He's clearly trolling.
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Katie Taylor dominates Eva Wahlstrom to retain female lightweight titles
8:22 p.m. : Katie Taylor with the clean sweep via scores of 100-90 across the board. It was yet another dominant performance from Taylor, who showcased wicked handspeed and scintillating combinations throughout.
8:12 p.m. : Katie Taylor may be pitching a shutout, but she's absolutely looking for the knockout. It's the ninth round and she's shelled Wahlstrom with some heavy leather. The Irishwoman is absolutely relentless.
8:00 p.m. : It may be time to address the fact that women's boxing needs three-minute rounds. Taylor has laying hands on Wahlstrom in this fight, but 120 seconds isn't quite enough time to build momentum. We're in round five and she's belting Wahlstrom with combinations. An extra minute would help her cause. Equality!
7:54 p.m. : Taylor and Wahlstrom were once opponents in the amateurs and it's clear that these two are familiar with one another after the first couple of rounds. Those who don't know Wahlstrom thought that this would be a walkover fight for Taylor. They're wrong. This is a fight against a worthy opponent.
7:39 p.m. : 2012 Olympic gold medalist and female lightweight champion Katie Taylor (11-0) is in action next against Eva Wahlstrom (22-0-1). Taylor has been staking her claim as the best women's boxer on the planet and looks to take the next step against the unbeaten Wahlstrom.Waiting In The Wings 🔜 @KatieTaylor #TaylorWahlstrom #CaneloRocky pic.twitter.com/jgH1cd8kTG
— DAZN USA (@DAZN_USA) December 16, 2018
7:35 p.m. : Lamont Roach Jr. (18-0-1) kept his undefeated record intact with a unanimous decision victory over Alberto Mercado (15-2-1) in a scheduled 10-round bout. Oscar De La Hoya was shown enterting the arena in between rounds and the crowd erupted. There should be tremendous energy in MSG once the main event begins.
6:49 p.m. : Yves Ulysse Jr. turned back Maximiliano Becerra by using a pair of knockdowns in the sixth and seventh rounds to earn a unanimous decision. Ulysse improves to 17-1 while Becerra falls to 16-3-2.
6:20 p.m.: Bilal Akkawy (19-0-1, 10 KOs) earned the first victory of the night by halting Victor Fonseca (17-9-1) in the seventh round of their scheduled eight-round super middleweight clash. It may be early but there are quite a few Canelo fans already in their seats; it's unusual for a boxing card to have people filling the seats during the first fight of the night.
CANELO VS. ROCKY HUB: News and video about the fight
Canelo vs. Rocky fight card
| Matchup | Weight class | Belt |
| Canelo Alvarez vs. Rocky Fielding | Super middleweight | WBA |
| Tevin Farmer vs. Francisco Fonseca | Junior lightweight | IBF |
| Sadam Ali vs. Mauricio Herrera | Welterweight | ... |
| Ryan Garcia vs. Braulio Rodriquez | Lightweight | ... |
| Katie Taylor vs. Eva Wahlstrom | Women's lightweight | IBF, WBA |
| Lamont Roach Jr. vs. Alberto Mercado | Junior lightweight | ... |
| Yves Ulysse Jr. vs. Maximiiano Becerra | Junior welterweight | ... |
| Bilal Akkaway vs. Victor Fonseca | Super middleweight | ... |
Canelo vs. Rocky: Related news, updates
• David Lemieux pulled from co-main event of Canelo vs. Rocky
• 'Double the risk': Canelo Alvarez sizes up Rocky Fielding in DAZN's 'The Journey' Part 2
• What’s it like to face Canelo? Past opponents talk about the experience
• Industry experts discuss Canelo Alvarez's place in Mexican boxing history
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• Canelo Alvarez ready to risk heavy weather against Rocky Fielding
• SN Q&A: Bernard Hopkins talks Canelo Alvarez, MSG and Rocky Fielding fight
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