Canelo v Rocky: What you need to know as Alvarez meets Fielding in super-middleweight showdown
On Saturday night at Madison Square Garden Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez will step through the ropes in a bid to become a three-weight world champion when he takes on WBA super-middleweight champion Rocky Fielding.
It's a clash that offers Alvarez the opportunity to build his legacy, while giving Fielding the chance to upset the applecart by defending his title at the expense of one of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world.
Here's your big-fight cheat sheet ahead of Saturday night's world title clash in New York City.
THE CHALLENGER
Alvarez has captured titles at both light-middleweight and middleweight, and has taken on some of the best fighters of this generation.
In an incredible 50-1-2 career, Alvarez has defeated Shane Mosley, Miguel Cotto, Amir Khan, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Gennady Golovkin, and lost a razor-thin majority decision to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in his sole defeat.
Now Alvarez, whose nickname "Canelo" means Cinnamon as a nod to his ginger hair, is moving up to super-middleweight to challenge England's Fielding as he looks to capture a world title at his third weight class.
THE CHAMPION
Liverpool's Fielding has a record of 27-1 and holds the WBA regular super-middleweight title - the smaller of the two WBA world titles currently in circulation, with the bigger, "Super" championship held by another Brit, Callum Smith. But a glance at the Englishman's record shows he hasn't kept the same level of company as Alvarez.
Fielding progressed through the ranks, winning the British, Commonwealth and WBC intercontinental super-middleweight titles before capturing world championship gold with a fifth-round stoppage of Germany's Tyron Zeuge in Offenburg in July.
His first title defense couldn't be any bigger - a clash against pound-for-pound star and one of the biggest draws in world boxing at the Mecca of world boxing, Madison Square Garden.
THE VENUE
Madison Square Garden is dubbed "The Most Famous Arena In The World" and given its rich history it's easy to see why.
The New York Venue, situated next to Penn Street station in the heart of the Big Apple, has played host to some of the biggest names in boxing.
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The great Muhammad Ali fought there eight times, including twice against his old rival Joe Frazier, while the arena also played host to all-time greats Rocky Marciano, Sugar Ray Robinson, Roberto Duran, Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis, to name just a few.
THE ODDS
Despite being the smaller man by some five inches and stepping up a weight class, Alvarez is a huge favorite with the bookmakers.
Some UK bookmakers have Alvarez as an unbackable 1/14 favorite to win the fight, and 1/4 to win by TKO/KO. Defending champion Fielding, meanwhile, is a huge 9/1 shot to retain his title at the Garden on Saturday night.
Anything other than a stoppage victory for Alvarez would represent a shock result, such is the Mexican's stature in world boxing.
But with a name like Rocky, perhaps the Liverpudlian star is the man to spring a surprise and become only the second fighter to defeat 'Canelo'.
