Rocky Fielding announces retirement from boxing

Rocky Fielding has announced his retirement from boxing at age 35, following a pro career that ran from Oct. 2010 through Dec. 2022.

“Today, I am announcing my retirement from the sport,” Fielding wrote on social media. “26 years in boxing, from walking into the Stocky ABC gym at age nine just to keep fit for football, to winning National titles.”

Fielding, who retires with a career record of 30-3 (18 KO), started 21-0 as a pro, winning the Commonwealth super middleweight title in 2013 and making two defenses.

He suffered his first loss in a British title challenge against Callum Smith in 2015, then went on a five-fight win streak from 2016-18, including a split decision victory over John Ryder in 2017 to win the British title, and a stoppage over Tyron Zeuge in Germany in 2018, where Fielding picked up the WBA’s secondary “world” title.

That win over Zeuge set Fielding up for the biggest fight of his career, when he was Canelo Alvarez’s first super middleweight opponent in Dec. 2018, traveling to Madison Square Garden. Canelo demolished him, to be candid, putting Fielding down once in round one, again in round two, and two more times in the third frame before the bout was stopped.

“I dreamed of being a world champion and fighting in Madison Square Garden with Michael Buffer calling my name. That came true,” he added in his retirement announcement.

Fielding’s career never really got back on track after that. He was out 11 months before a tune-up return in Liverpool, his home city, and he won three fights before a loss to prospect and top domestic light heavyweight Dan Azeez this past December. Fielding failed to make weight for the fight and was stopped in the eighth round.

While he never became a top-top fighter, he had a solid career and got himself some major chances, made some good money along the way and had some big nights, and it seems he’s getting out in good shape and with an honest assessment of where he is as a fighter these days.

Happy trails to Rocky Fielding.