WBA world super-middleweight king Rocky Fielding has recounted the story of how he learned of the dream fight against ‘Canelo’ Alvarez. ‘Rocky from Stocky’ will venture to Madison Square Garden as the defending champion to face Mexican legend Alvarez (50-1-2, 34 KOs) on December 15 and, like many after him, couldn’t quite believe his ears when he heard the news.

Fielding told MTK Global: “My trainer Jamie Moore phoned me at 9.30pm last Wednesday night. I was sitting in bed with the baby, who was having a night feed.

“Jamie said he had some news. I said: ‘Go on…’ He said: ‘Canelo wants to fight you.’ I said: ‘What?’ He repeated it. I told him we should do it.

“I put the phone down and my girlfriend asked me what’s up. I told her Jamie had told me Canelo wants to fight me. She told me I must be having a laugh. I told her I was being in serious.

“Still, I got to the gym at 9 in the morning the next morning and said: ‘Is this a wind-up?’ It wasn’t. It was what MTK Global had been working on behind the scenes.

“I accepted it straight away. I’m not going to knock back fighting the best in the world at Madison Square Garden. I accepted it straight away no matter what happens.”