Canelo Alvarez has never fought in Madison Square Garden. He's never fought on the East Coast. And he's really never fought after as big a win as he had in September against Gennady Golovkin.
So when Triple G's name is brought up to the ruler of the middleweight division, Alvarez sort of shrugs and instead begins talking about his Dec. 15 meeting with Rocky Fielding, the WBA super middleweight belt holder.
"It's the Mecca of boxing," Alvarez said Tuesday. "I have wanted to fight there for many years, and this is a great opportunity to give the fans from Latin America and Mexico a great fight.
Canelo Alvarez is interviewed, Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2018, in New York. Alvarez is scheduled to fight WBA super middleweight boxing champion Rocky Fielding in New York in December. (AP PhotoMark Lennihan)
"This is a fight I made because I want to make history as one of the top Mexicans to win three titles. He is the current WBA champion. ... I asked for the opportunity to fight at 168 pounds. For me, it's the history. Only 10 Mexican champions have titles in three weight classes. I am taking a big risk entering his comfort zone."
Perhaps. But Alvarez, who had a draw and then a narrow victory over Golovkin in his last two fights — sandwiched by a suspension for testing positive for performance enhancers that his camp said came from tainted meat — isn't taking that big a gamble.
Fielding is 27-1 with 15 knockouts, but he's never faced anyone close to the level of Alvarez. And Alvarez (50-1-2, 34 knockouts) has the edge in experience, speed and ring savvy.
That could lead back to folks concentrating on Triple G and a potential third fight rather than on the matchup in the Garden. Alvarez scoffs at such a notion.
"Moving up a division, that's the biggest risk," said Alvarez, who was a super welterweight champion before moving into the middleweight ranks. "I don't know how it will feel there. He is the champion and has the experience at that weight, and it is a risk for any fighter to (add) eight pounds. I just take it as another challenge."
That Alvarez would challenge Fielding came as "a big surprise" to the Brit who won his belt in July by stopping previously undefeated Tyron Zeuge in Fielding's first world title shot. He goes from that relatively obscure matchup to taking on what Fielding calls "the face of boxing."
Fielding never thought of saying no to fighting Alvarez and is comfortable with being an underdog. That was the case when he went to Zeuge's turf in Germany and beat him for the belt.
"He is a worldwide superstar," Fielding said. "You have to fight the best to be the best, and this is an opportunity for me to take on the best.
"I didn't expect him to move up (in weight). It didn't sink in until I was in the gym the next day after his phone call to ask about a fight. And then at Madison Square Garden, are you serious? There have been a lot of big fights there."
Not for Alvarez. He expects a huge turnout, and though he himself doesn't like to watch other fights, he knows there will be lots of passion in the crowd when he makes his New York debut.
"I don't like to watch boxing, but I like boxing, being in the ring," he said with a grin.
He recognizes his popularity with Hispanic fans, but when pressed on who have been the greatest Mexican champions, he demurs, fearing he will leave out someone and be accused of disrespect. What about Canelo being considered in that group?
Another smile.
"They are all legends," he said. "I respect them too much to say who is the best. But there continue to be so many champions from Mexico, they are the pride of Mexico. They have given a lot to the Mexican people.
"It is a difficult sport. You need discipline and sacrifice, so I respect them all."
NEW YORK (AP) — “Civil War,” Alex Garland’s ominous American dystopia, remained the top film in theaters in its second week of release, according to studio estimates Sunday.
The A24 election-year gamble, the indie studio’s biggest budgeted film yet, took in $11.1 million in ticket sales at 3,929 theaters over the weekend. The $50 million film, set in a near-future U.S. in which Texas and California have joined in rebellion against a fascist president, has grossed $44.9 million in two weeks.
Its provocative premise – and A24’s marketing, which included images of U.S. cities ravaged by war – helped keep “Civil War” top of mind for moviegoers.
But it was a painfully slow weekend in theaters – the kind sure to add to concern over what’s thus far been a down year for Hollywood at the box office. Year-to-date ticket sales are down almost 20% compared to last year, according to Comscore.
Going into the weekend, Universal Pictures’ “Abigail,” a critically acclaimed R-rated horror film about the daughter of Dracula, had been expected to lead ticket sales. It came in second with $10.2 million in 3,384 theaters.
That was still a fair result for a film that cost a modest $28 million to make. “Abigail,” which remakes the 1936 monster film “Dracula’s Daughter,” is about a 12-year-old girl taken by kidnappers who soon realize they’ve made a poor choice of hostage. It’s directed by the duo Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett whose production company goes by the name Radio Silence.
More concerning was the overall tepid response for a handful of new wide releases – and the likelihood that there will be more similar weekends throughout 2024. Last year’s actors and writers' strikes, which had a prolonged effect on the movie pipeline, exacerbated holes in Hollywood’s release schedule.
Horror films, in recent years among the most reliable cash cows in theaters, also haven’t thus far been doing the automatic business they previous did. According to David A. Gross, who runs the consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research, horror releases accounted for $2 billion in worldwide sales in 2023.
Guy Ritchie’s “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” debuted with $9 million in 2,845 theaters. In the based-on-a-true-story Lionsgate release, which reportedly cost $60 million to produce, Henry Cavill leads a World War II mission off the coast of West Africa.
Though Ritchie has been behind numerous box-office hits, including the live-action “Aladdin” and a pair of Sherlock Holmes films, his recent movies have struggled to find big audiences. The Lionsgate spy comedy “Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre” grossed $48 million against a $50 million budget, while MGM’s “The Covenant,” also released last year, made $21 million while costing $55 million to make.
A bright sign for “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare”: audiences liked it. The film earned an A-minus CinemaScore.
The anime “Spy x Family Code: White,” from Sony’s Crunchyroll, also struggled to stand out with audiences. Though the adaptation of the Tatsuya Endo manga TV series “Spy x Family” has already been a hit with international moviegoers, it debuted below expectations with $4.9 million in 2,009 U.S. theaters.
The mightiest film globally, though, continues to be “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.” The Warner Bros. monster movie has for the past month led worldwide ticket sales. It added another $9.5 million domestically and $21.6 million internationally to bring its four-week global total to $485.2 million.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. “Civil War,” $11.1 million.
2. “Abigail,” $10.2 million.
3. “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” $9.5 million.
4. “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare,” $9 million.
5. “Spy x Family Code: White,” $4.9 million.
6. “Kung Fu Panda 4," $4.6 million.
7. “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire,” $4.4 million.
8. “Dune: Part Two,” $2.9 million.
9. “Monkey Man,” $2.2 million.
10. “The First Omen,” $1.7 million.
This image released by Universal Pictures shows Alisha Weir in a scene from the film "Abigail." (Bernard Walsh/Universal Pictures via AP)
This image released by A24 shows Kirsten Dunst in a scene from "Civil War." (A24 via AP)
'Civil War’ continues box-office campaign at No. 1
'Civil War’ continues box-office campaign at No. 1
This image released by Lionsgate shows Alex Pettyfer, Alan Ritchson, Henry Cavill, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, and Henry Golding in a scene from the film "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare." (Daniel Smith/Lionsgate via AP)
