BoxingSport

Rocky Fielding confident he has plenty left to offer sport as he takes on Lewisham’s rising star Dan Azeez

Rocky Fielding believes he still has plenty left in the tank ahead of Saturday’s domestic light-heavyweight scrap against Dan Azeez.

Lewisham’s Azeez is defending his British title and also looking to add the vacant Commonwealth belt to his collection.

But Liverpudlian Fielding, 35, knows that he can shift the spotlight on to himself if he pulls off a victory at Bournemouth International Centre.

The Scouser has collected three wins since losing to WBA world super-middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez in December 2018 but has boxed a total of seven rounds.

Asked if he had become a forgotten man, Fielding said: “Definitely. Because of Covid I had no big, marquee names through no fault of my own. I haven’t been missing – I have been ticking over.

“I did 30 rounds sparring with Badou Jack [a former two-weight world champion] and they didn’t get me back for a fourth spar. I was handling him well in Dubai.

“I beat John Ryder [now interim WBO super-middleweight champion]. Dan Azeez is the one who has to prove himself. If I beat him in style then Rocky Fielding is back in the mix for the top guys.

“Since the [Azeez] fight got mentioned I had to look him up. He had a good win against Hosea [Burton] but he maybe stayed at the weight too long and killed himself – he’s had some wars as fights, I haven’t.

“He got a split decision over Ricky Summers and I sparred Ricky years ago and we had to send Ricky back home after the second day. He does what he does well but there’s nothing I haven’t fought in my career. I’ve fought every style possible. It’s more about him with my style – it’s his big step up against me and see what he can deliver.”

Fielding has 18 stoppages on his 30-2 record.

“I’m heavy handed,” he said. “When I land with 16-ounce gloves on I feel it right through my hands and arms. The power and strength is still there.”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.