:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62685305/1073328434.jpg.0.jpg)
Tonight at 8 pm ET, streaming live on DAZN, Madison Square Garden plays host to Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez for the first time, as the two-division world champion moves up to super middleweight to challenge Rocky Fielding for the WBA “world” title.
Alvarez (50-1-2, 34 KO) is making his DAZN debut tonight, too, the first fight of an 11-bout, $365 million deal. He’s the heavy favorite despite moving up in weight, with Fielding (27-1, 15 KO) seen as a relatively safe opponent.
But Fielding does have a significant natural height advantage, and we’ll have to see how Canelo’s power translates against a full-fledged 168-pound fighter. You never know — they fight the fights for a reason.
Also on the card, Tevin Farmer (27-4-1, 6 KO) defends his IBF super featherweight title against Francisco Fonseca (22-1-1, 16 KO); Katie Taylor (11-0, 5 KO) defends her WBA and IBF lightweight titles against Eva Wahlstrom (22-0-1, 3 KO); Sadam Ali (26-2, 14 KO) takes on Mauricio Herrera (24-7, 7 KO) in a welterweight contest; and lightweight prospect Ryan Garcia (16-0, 13 KO) faces Braulio Rodriguez (19-3, 17 KO).
Wil Esco will be on the call tonight. Join us!
RESULTS
- CANELO ALVAREZ def. ROCKY FIELDING by TKO (2:38 of Round 3)
- TEVIN FARMER def. FRANCISCO FONSECA by UD (117-111, 117-111, 117-111)
- SADAM ALI def. MAURICIO HERRERA by UD (100-90, 99-91, 98-92)
- RYAN GARCIA def. BRAULIO RODRIGUEZ by KO (1:14 of Round 5)
ROUND-BY-ROUND
CANELO ALVAREZ vs ROCKY FIELDING
Round 1: Fielding steps to center ring and tries a couple jabs and a hook that Canelo catches. Canelo lands a body shot, then another hard right hook downstairs that backs Fielding to the ropes. Straight right hand lands to the body for Canelo. Fielding is fighting at mid-to-close range and giving up his height and reach. FIELDING EATS A HARD LIVER SHOT AND HE GOES DOWN! Fielding is up at the count of 8. Hard right hook lands to the body, then a hard left hook to the body that hurts Fielding again! Right hand lands clean for Canelo to end the round. Fielding makes it out the round but is on borrowed time already. Good lord. Canelo 10-8.
Round 2: Fielding jabs but lands on Canelo’s glove. Canelo steps right in on Fielding and lands a right hand to the body. FIelding has like six inches on Fielding and cannot keep any sort of preferable range. Canelo in right in Fielding’s wheelhouse and strafing him with shots to the body and head. Right hook glances off Fielding’s head. Hard left hook to the body lands again for Canelo! Fielding throws three half-hearted punches. Canelo touches to the body and then puts the uppercut to the head. HARD LEFT HOOK LANDS TO THE BODY AGAIN AND FIELDING TAKES A KNEE! Fielding beats the count again but is in over his head. Right hook lands to the body to end the round. Canelo 10-8, 20-16.
Round 3: Fielding comes out and throws a short combination that doesn’t land well. Canelo lands one right hand to the body and Fielding is already back on the ropes. Field takes a hook upstairs, and it’s just a matter of time before the next left hook puts Fielding down for good. Two more hooks land for Canelo and Fielding is gonna be pissing blood tonight. Fielding hunches over as Canelo lands the next left hook to the body. Fielding is getting torn up on the inside, exactly where he shouldn’t be fighting this fight. Fielding is on the ropes and Canelo knows he has a wounded animal in front of him. CANELO LANDS A HARD RIGHT HAND OVER THE TOP AS FIELDING LOOKS FOR THE NEXT BODY SHOT, AND FIELDING GOES DOWN! Fielding beats the count again but Canelo just rips another left hook to the body that puts Fielding right back down on the canvas! It’s over. Canelo TKO-3.
TEVIN FARMER vs FRANCISCO FONSECA
Round 1: Farmer throws a quick jab that falls short. Now Farmer tries to sneak in a left uppercut that just misses. Now Farmer lands a straight left hand, then a left to the body shortly after. Left hook to the body strays low for Farmer, the referee tells him to keep them up. Jab to the body lands clean for Farmer. Fonseca misses on two straight right hands as Farmer ducks both punches. Right hook lands to the body for Farmer. Fonseca lands a counter shot but then eats a straight left hand in return. Hard left to the body lands for Farmer, then another. Farmer 10-9.
Round 2: Farmer falls short on a lead straight left. Right hook to the body lands for the southpaw, Farmer. Farmer sneaks in the straight left this time, followed by an uppercut to the body. Another right hook to the body lands for Farmer. Fonseca tries a jab to the body and then gets in the right hand downstairs. Two more body shots come from Farmer. Hard right hook lands clean to the body for Farmer. Now Farmer gets in a clean left hand to the head. Farmer ducks a Fonseca right hand and counters with an uppercut to the body. Two left hands land to the head, followed by a right hook to the body for Farmer. Farmer 10-9, 20-18.
Round 3: Farmer looks for a jab to the body but ge can’t land it. Farmer steps in a little closer and then lands several hard body shots. Fonseca gets in a clean right hand to Farmer’s head. Jab lands for Farmer, then a straight left hand. Farmer sticks the left hand to the body, but takes a right hand to the body from Fonseca. Two left hooks partially land for Fonseca as Farmer ducks his head low. Three body punches land for Farmer. Now Farmer lands a straight left followed by a right jab. Fonseca lands a straight right hand this time. Better round for Fonseca but I still think Farmer takes it. Farmer 10-9.
Round 4: Farmer slips a few punches from Fonseca to start the round, then lands a counter left uppercut. Farmer throws a left hook to the body sten a straight left to the head. Fonseca throws a straight right to the body and the head and Farmer throws a couple back. Both fighters are standing right in each other’s faces and taking turns throwing punches. Hard left hand lands upstairs for Farmer. Farmer walks forward and puts Fonseca on the ropes, slips his shots and returns fire with his counters. Right hand lands for Fonseca. Close round, but I think Farmer still edges it. Farmer 10-9, 40-36.
Round 5: Straight left hand lands for Farmer. Fonseca lands a nice left hook to the body on the inside. Now Fonseca lands a straight left hand but Farmer responds with two body shots. Right hook to the body lands for Farmer, followed by a straight left. Fonseca steps in and just gets out the way of a straight left hand from Farmer. Now Farmer lands a clean left hand to the head! Three right hooks come from Farmer, then he tries to score the straight left again. Fonseca tries to come forward behind a number of punches but Farmer is largely able to avoid them. Fonseca is giving a good account of himself but Farmer is taking the rounds. Farmer 10-9.
Round 6: Fonseca steps in with a right hand lead. Farmer gets into the pocket and he looks to slip and weave the head shots and counter with body shot counters. Farmer doubles up on the left uppercut on the inside and Fonseca responds with a right uppercut of his own. Both fighters are in the phone both and exchanging. Left hook partially lands for Fonseca. Farmer gets in a left uppercut to the chin, snapping Fonseca’s head up. Another uppercut lands for Farmer, followed by a left hook to the body. Fonseca answers with a hard right hand. Fonseca is bleeding over his right eye now. Clean left uppercut lands again for Farmer! Farmer flashes his defense to end the round, dodging a few Fonseca punches. Farmer 10-9, 60-54.
Round 7: Clean left hand lands for Farmer, who then throws it to the body. Fonseca lands a left hook to the body. Farmer comes back with hooks to each side of Fonseca’s body. Both fighters trade and land blows while they’re fighting in the pocket. Uppercut lands for Fonseca this time as Farmer tries to walk right in his chest without moving his hand. Straight left lands for Farmer, then a right hook to the body. Fonseca lands two shots upstairs on Farmer. Hard right to the body lands for Fonseca, the a right hook to the head. Fonseca steps in and lands another staight right hand. Farmer rattles off three quick punches but it doesn’t stop Fonseca from coming and and throwing both hands. I think Fonseca gets on the board here. Fonseca 10-9.
Round 8: Fonseca steps and backs Farmer to the ropes. Fonseca continues to stalk Farmer but misses on a right hook to the head. Lead left hand partially lands for Farmer. Fonseca lands a short right hand on the inside. Both fighters trade body shots as they continue to fight at close range. Fonseca presses Farmer back to the ropes and throws a right hand to the body. Farmer gets a left cross to the head. Fonseca lands a good right uppercut to the body. Four jabs come from Fonseca. I think Fonseca had another good round. Fonseca 10-9, 74-78.
Round 9: Fonseca presses again and lands a straight right to the head and body. Farmer throws his straight left and hooks to the head, then throws the left to the body. Farmer catches a Fonseca hook and returns fire with a jab. Jab lands for Fonseca. Farmer gets in a clean right hook to the head. Hard body shot lands for Fonseca but he takes a counter shot from Farmer. Both fighters trade and land shots. Now Farmer gets in two left uppercuts to Fonseca’s chin. Sharp jab lands for Farmer. Three body punches come from Farmer moments before the bell. Farmer 10-9.
Round 10: Both fighters trade shots to start the round. Jab lands for Farmer up close but Fonseca tries to get off his offense at close range. Short left uppercut lands for Farmer. Clean right hook to the body lands for Farmer, then another. Now Farmer lands a left uppercut, then another! Then another! Fonseca might’ve got a little shaken up by that sequence of punches. Fonseca standing in and tries to fire back with some of his own punches. Jab lands clean for Farmer once they get a little distance between them. Farmer 10-9, 98-92.
Round 11: Farmer misses on a left uppercut. Farmer lands a left hook this time, though. Farmer stabs the body with a jab and then throws the straight left to the head. Farmer turns to an orthodox stance and rattles off a few punches and then switches back to his natual southpaw stance. Fonseca lands a straight right upstairs. Farmer misses on a big left hook, designed to drop Fonseca. Farmer lands a straight left clean upstairs. The fighters are back in each other’s chest, taking turns throwing punches. Fonseca is able to rough Farmer up a little on the inside. Fonseca 10-9.
Round 12: Both fighters touch gloves to start the last round. Fonseca ties to land a straight right, which he’s had some pretty good success, but Farmer is able to evade this one. Farmer tries three punches but they don’t land. Fonseca lands a right hook to the body. Farmer lands a clean counter jab after slipping a Fonseca punch. Farmer throws a little left hand to the body then pivots off the ropes. Clean left land to the body again for Farmer. Fonseca lands a clean shot to the head as Farmer spins on defensive manuever. Hard shot from Farmer rocks Fonseca just before the final bell. Farmer 10-9. I’ve got it for Farmer, 117-111.
SADAM ALI vs MAURICIO HERRERA
Round 1: Ali tries a jab to the body that misses. Ali tries three punches that Herrera is able to defend. Herrera tries a jab but can’t find the range. Ali jumps in with a few punches that don’t land clean but make contact. Herrera tries two hooks to the body that land but with no authority. Ali tries a right hand that only grazes Herrera. Ali comes in again with a combination that doesn’t land clean. Ali is just fighting at a pace that the 38-year-old Herrera can’t keep up with, it seems. Ali 10-9.
Round 2: Ali flicks a jab that doesn’t quite find that mark. Herrera jabs to the body but it’s only a glancing shot. Ali steps in with the right hand again but can’t land it. Jab lands for Ali. Now Ali cuffs Herrera’s hear with a left hook. Check hook lands for Ali as Herrera steps in. Two jabs land for Herrera this time. Herrera comes in behind a few punches but Ali is able to step out of range. Ali throws a bunch of left hooks to end the round. Most of them don’t land but he’s outworking Herrera, so that’s the difference for me. Ali 10-9, 20-18.
Round 3: Herrera partially lands a jab to the body, then misses on the follow up. Ali sneaks in a little lead left uppercut. Right hand to the body lands for Ali after he flicks a jab. Herrera tries to punch with his right hand as the fighters get tied up but can’t land anything significant. Both fighters trade jabs at mid-range. Ugh. There’s very little clean punching in this fight. Short hook from Ali cuff’s Herrera’s ear. Three punches from Ali land to the body to end the round. Ali 10-9.
Round 4: Ali tries to lead the round with a left uppercut. Herrera steps in as Ali backs up and looks for counter opportunities. Left hook lands for Ali as Herrera lands a straight right. Right hand lead lands for Ali this time. Herrera lands a clean jab upstairs. Ali rushes in with two hooks to the body as Herrera catches the punches on his arms. Three hooks come from Ali as Herrera covers up again. Clean jab lands for Herrera again as he’s getting his timing down. I think Herrera edged this round with his clean jabs. Herrera 10-9, 37-39.
Round 5: Herrera starts with a jab to the body. Two more jabs land for Herrera, followed by a right hand. Two more jabs land for Herrera! Now Herrera pumps the jab up to the head and body. Ali tries to hook to the body but can’t find a clean target. Right hand lands clean for Ali. Herrera lands the jab again with his back on the ropes. Hard left hook lands upstairs for Ali. I think Herrera wins this round too with his effective jabs. Ali started coming back late but it wasn’t enough for me. Herrera 10-9.
Round 6: Ali starts using his jab to beat Herrera to the punch. Both fighters are winding up in frequent clinches up to this point. Herrera ties to step in but Ali steps out of range and then charges back in with a left hook to the body. Now Ali jabs to the chest. A lot of sloppy action in this round — I really don’t know who won it. I’m going to edge it to Ali for the best punch that I remember of the round. Ali 10-9, 58-56.
Round 7: Ali throws a ab that doesn’t land clean. Ali tries a right hand to the body that also can’t quite land effectively. Now Ali lands with a lead right and a left hook that also misses. Ali throwing and missing, and Herrera defending but not really throwing — yuck! Ali tries three more punches that don’t quite land. Now Ali lands a few hard shots, including a good one to the body. Those might’ve been the best punches of the entire fight. Ali 10-9.
Round 8: Ali jabs twice as Herrera steps in and tries to pressure him. Ali partially lands a left hook at the end of a three punch combination. Now Herrera unleashes a few punches that land on Ali. Ali hooks to the body and get, with the body shot landing more effectively. Herrera steps in and presses Ali to the ropes, but Ali is able to circle out of danger. Ali goes back downstairs with a couple of shots on Herrera. Ali grazes Herrera with a lead right hand. Ali follows up with another combination, heavily favoring his left hook. Ali 10-9, 78-74.
Round 9: Herrera walks forward with some feints and Ali throws a couple of punches. Jab lands clean for Herrera. Ali doubles up on his left hook again as Herrera holds his guard up. Ali is just throwing a lot more punches than Herrera, and in a fight where there’s not many clean-landing punches, that’s probably the difference. Ali tries to hook to the body and head, making a little contact. Right land lands for Ali, who then lands a lead hook that Herrera ducks into. Ali 10-9.
Round 10: Last round. God bless the person who scheduled this for 10 rounds, this fight was about as bad as I expected. Right hand and left hook lands for Ali. Ali throws two more left hooks but Herrera is able to mostly block them as Ali is way too dependent on that one punch. Jab partially lands for Ali. Right hand lands over the top for Ali. Jab lands clean for Herrera, Ali misses badly on a big left hook. Herrera walks himself back to the ropes and then gets caught with a clean hook in an exchange. Herrera lands another clean jab. Ali hits the deck on a slip to end the round and the fight. Ali 10-9, 98-92.
RYAN GARCIA vs BRAULIO RODRIGUEZ
Round 1: Rodriguez falls short with a jab to the body. Rodriguez tries another one that misses but Garcia lands a jab to the body of his own. Another jab to the body lands for Garcia. Strong jab lands to the head for Garcia. Rodriguez tries a wide left hook that gets caught on Garcia’s guard. Two body shots land for Garcia, Rodriguez responds with another jab to the body. Three punch combination comes from Garcia. Both fighters get tied up and try to punch out of it. GARCIA LANDS TWO HARD SHOTS AT SHORT RANGE THAT PUT RODRIGUEZ DOWN! Rodriguez looks hurt but he beats the count when it looked to be over. Garcia rushes him with another assault but Rodriguez is able to survive the round. Garcia 10-8.
Round 2: Garcia falls short on two jabs to open the round. Rodriguez tries to loop a big right hook but can’t land it clean. Check hook lands for Garcia as Rodriguez comes in. Another looping hook partially lands for Garcia, Rodriguez complains that the punch landed in the back of the head. Jab to the body comes from Rodriguez. Now Rodriguez gets a warning for hitting behind the head after throwing a combination. Garcia misses on a big lead left hook at center ring. Now Garcia tries a lead right hand that partially lands. Garcia is stalking Rodriguez around the ring and taking his time. Garcia catches Rodriguez with a left hook upstairs. Garcia 10-9. 20-17.
Round 3: Rodriguez tries a jab to the body again, then another. Rodriguez tries to follow it up with another combination and then shuffles. Now Rodriguez tries to maul Garcia on the inside and Garcia tries to fight him off. Now the referee warns Rodriguez for letting his punches stray below the belt. Jab to the body lands for Rodriguez, then an overhand right. Another punch lands low and Rodriguez gets a point taken away. Hard check hook lands clean for Garcia. Right hand to the body lands for Garcia. Combination comes from Garcia that knocks Rodriguez back to the ropes. Another low blow and Rodriguez gets a hard warning. Garcia 10-8.
Round 4: Garcia comes out with two hooks that don’t land too clean. Jab lands for Garcia at center ring. Rodriguez goes back to jabbing to the body and then tries to loop an overhand right that can’t find the target. Flurry comes from Garcia and Rodriguez has to grab hold to keep from going down. Garcia gets in a body shot as Rodriguez tries to hold on the inside. Wild haymakers come from Rodriguez but he can’t land them. Garcia responds with a couple of hard shots. Now two body shots land for Garcia, followed by a check hook that lands hard as Rodriguez steps in. Garcia 10-9, 40-34.
Round 5: Right hand lands to the body for Garcia. Two body shots find the mark for Rodriguez, who again gets warned for his punches landing low — I didn’t see those as low this time, though. Right hook shakes up Rodriguez! The follow-up combination puts Rodriguez down hard! Rodriguez can’t beat the count. It’s over. Garcia KO-5.