What does Canelo defeating Fielding mean for Vijender Singh?
Middleweight champion and one of the all-time best middleweight fighter Canelo Alvarez proved too much for WBA super middleweight champion Rocky Fielding. 'Saul' Canelo Alvarez stepped up to the super middleweight category to realize his dream of becoming a 3 weight champion and it came true as he demolished Fielding with a flurry of body shots which broke Fielding right from the first round.
It was a once in a lifetime opportunity for the Brit (Rocky) against the superstar of boxing (Canelo) who owns the record of the highest sports contract for any athlete on the planet when he signed up with DAZN streaming network for $365,000,000.
Fielding (6'1'') failed to utilize his huge height and reach advantage over Alvarez (5'9'') and kept fighting on the inside which allowed Alvarez to land his body shots quite convincingly. The first knockdown came in the first round itself and none of the rounds were without a knockdown with Canelo finishing the task in the 3rd round when the referee stopped the fight.
This fight is also an indication of the importance of genetics for a boxer. Just 3 months ago ex-middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez went to war against each other and they produced one of the all-time boxing classics. The intensity at which Golovkin and Canelo fought was incredible and only these two had the capacity to survive that slugfest.
Canelo hurt Fielding in the first round itself and Golovkin kept absorbing all those body shots from Alvarez and kept retaliating with his own when they were fighting in September. Fielding, unfortunately, did not have the punch resistance to absorb the offense of a beast like Canelo Alvarez. The offense from Fielding did not seem to have any impact on Alvarez.
What does it mean for Vijender Singh?
Indian superstar Vijender Singh is a household name in India. Vijender has been linked with fighting both Canelo Alvarez and Rocky Fielding. After signing with Top Rank and expressing his desire to fight Canelo Alvarez in the Madison Square Garden New York, Vijender is hopeful for going against big names of the sport. After a frustrating 2nd innings with Queensberry promotion which left him without a fight in 2018, Vijender has not lost hope at all.
Right now it is hard to say if Canelo vs Vijender fight will happen because the Mexican has hinted going back to his regular middleweight division. Supposing that the fight happens, it will be a very interesting fight because Vijender is much more Technically sound as compared to Rocky Fielding. Vijender who is an Olympic Bronze Medalist is known for his technical expertise, punch precision, range understanding and high punch resistance which he has proved in the amateur boxing circuit on more than one occasion.
In his fight against Zulpikar Maimaitiali, Vijender showed that he has the ability to dig deep and come out of a difficult situation since the Chinese boxer hit Vijender below the belt on more than one occasion but that did not stop him and he eventually emerged victorious.
In spite of all these qualities, going against Canelo Alvarez can be a dangerous call as he is one of the best in today's generation.
Vijender vs Rocky Fielding fight is quite manageable now as the Brit has now lost his super middleweight title to Canelo and he will have to start building up his career again. If Vijender vs Rocky happens, then that too will be a huge fight.