Matchroom Sports is looking to advance the standing of one of their more promising talents by pitting him against an experienced and dogged operator on June 26th in Liverpool.
Super-middleweight Rocky Fielding (20-0, 11 KO’s) will hold the home advantage over the visiting veteran Brian Vera (23-9, 14 KO’s) whose record undermines his quality. He has shared the ring with some high-level opposition including Julio Cesar Chavez Jr twice, Andy Lee, James Kirkland, Sergio Mora, and Willie Monroe Jr. Granted, most of those were losing efforts, but he never goes quietly and represents a huge step up for Fielding.
BoxingNewsOnline.net interviewed Vera after this bout was announced to gauge how he views his latest opponent and how he feels since moving up in weight to 168 lb.
“I feel I’ve got the experience and I feel stronger at 168-pounds. I do well against tall guys. I’m expecting a tough fight, but this is the type of fight I need to get back in the mix. My manager has two of his fights, and I’ve seen bits of him on YouTube. He’s good; he keeps it long, but I feel he is still a little green.”
Fielding’s resume up to this point has lacked any noticeable names, and he has struggled to get down to the super-middleweight limit on several occasions. There could be a serious disparity in size as well as experience when the two meet at the Echo Arena, but Vera does not expect it to be a problem, believing his more extensive campaign will hold him in good stead.
“I’ve fought quite a lot at 168, and I’ve sparred guys at 168, and I’ve done pretty well there. And I’m older now, so making middleweight was too hard. It’s much better for me making weight at 168. And, if he’s had trouble making weight, it might be better for me if he has to cut [a lot of] weight to make this, but I’m sure he’ll be ready.”
The last thing Fielding will want is to feel weight-drained on the night, but hopefully a big event like this will spur him on to drop those last few pounds that often cause fighters a high level of discomfort. Vera would prefer to drag him into an attritional battle, so he will need all the energy he can get.
“I definitely want it to be a fight, the kind where the fans get their money’s worth. I’m not looking to go crazy in there. I know I’ll need to get inside and bang him up.”
The crowd will undoubtedly want the same thing, but with the action and result favouring the homegrown fighter. This is the kind of test that can often crush the aspirations of an upcoming pug expected to go on to big things. It is easy to take too much notice of a ledger with nine names in the ‘defeats’ column and overlook the quality the work laid down in the process of a challenging career. If Fielding and his trainer Oliver Harrison fail to heed the danger signs here, they will be rebuilding from the ground up.
