by Shaun Brown
British Super Middleweight Champion Rocky Fielding (24-1, 13 KOs) is hoping to land a European title shot against Hadillah Mohoumadi at the end of this year or a crack at WBA world titlist Tyron Zeuge.
Fielding, 30, defends his Lonsdale belt against Commonwealth champion, Scotland’s David Brophy, at the end of this month at Liverpool’s Echo Arena live on Sky Sports. And the hometown favourite is hoping that a good performance and victory will secure him a big fight in the near future.
The Liverpudlian admitted to being p****d off at finding out on Twitter that his original opponent for September 30, Jamie Cox, had been drafted in for the World Boxing Super Series 168lbs tournament which beings this weekend.
“The good thing is that Tyron Zeuge has not gone in it,” Fielding told Boxing Scene. The WBA, instead, will be represented by their Super Champion George Groves who will face Jamie Cox in their quarter final on October 14.
“I said to [promoter] Eddie (Hearn) ‘Get me Tyrone if I put in a good performance and get the win’ and he got back saying he’s on it. So, hopefully I’ll get him or a European title shot. Some of the champions at super middleweight are in the Super Series so I probably would get a chance of fighting Zeuge that way than waiting around till next year when they’re all tied up.”
Despite his annoyance at how he discovered he would not be facing Cox, the British champion soon accepted the fact and was happy that all was not lost when he found he would be facing Brophy instead.
“At the same time, I would have liked to have been in the mix but I didn’t have a clue how it worked. No-one had spoken to me about it. I didn’t have a clue what was going on. I was a bit p****d off but as it stands I haven’t lost anything defending my title against another opponent.”
Cox, unbeaten in 24 contests, has only went the 12-round distance once in his 10-year career and that was a lucky escape against Obodai Sai in 2011 when Cox won the Commonwealth Super Welterweight title with a controversial points victory. The fight against Groves is a huge leap in class for the 31-year-old southpaw so how does Fielding think he will fare?
“I give him a bit of a chance,” he answered.
“Last time I seen Cox fighting was at Light Middleweight, and I just missed him at his last fight in Sheffield (against Lewis Taylor). A few people were saying he didn’t look the best. I think Groves will do a better job on Cox than he did on (Fedor) Chudinov. Groves is looking good with each fight, sometimes he looks a bit fragile but he’s got that one-punch power even when he’s tired. I think Groves will find Cox tricky for a few rounds but he’ll find his way in and beat him.”
