Noe Gonzalez says there will be no repeat of the mistake he made against George Groves when he tackles Rocky Fielding for the WBA Inter-Continental Super Middleweight title at the Echo Arena in Liverpool on July 12, live on Sky Sports.
The Argentinian-based Uruguayan travelled to London in May 2013 to face Groves on the undercard of Carl Froch’s clash with Mikkel Kessler at The O2, and walked onto a stiff short right-hand from the Hammersmith star in the fifth round that ended the fight.
Groves went on to face Froch in two historic encounters in the UK after his win over Gonzalez and the 35 year old says that this time around he will be the one ready to step into major fights after beating Fielding.
“I made a mistake against Groves and I realised that so I never thought about walking away from the sport,” he said. “I decided to carry on boxing, I waited for something and they called me from England for this fight. I never stopped training over the past year.
“I’ve seen Fielding and I think he’s a good boxer, he’s unbeaten so this is another opportunity for me to show people in England that I can do more. I don’t want to waste this chance because there could be even more important fights down the line.
“I’m going to go there to win by any means, if it’s by knockout then so much the better but if not, by points. I’m going to his hometown and the way to win has to be convincing.”
“I was treated very well the last time I was there. In fact, it’s the best experience I’ve had fighting away. They took me everywhere and treated me well. I’m proud to go back and I don’t to waste this chance or show anyone a lack of respect. I need to look good in Liverpool.
“Groves is better than Fielding for sure, he’s at the top level, that’s why he was able to do well against Froch. Fielding will look at me as a stepping stone to better things but I am not coming over to get beaten, I know I can stop him on his home patch.
“I believe in myself, I’m training hard for this and on July 12 I’m going to show the English public what I can do.”
Gonzalez’s clash with Fielding is part of a great line-up of action on Merseyside as bitter rivals Tony Bellew and Nathan Cleverly continue to move towards a rematch as they face their second fights at Cruiserweight against Julio Cesar Dos Santos and Alejandro Valori respectively.
Olympic gold medal heroes Anthony Joshua MBE and Luke Campbell MBE close their debut pro seasons with their first action in Liverpool, with Joshua facing Matt Skelton while Campbell’s opponent will be announced soon. They are joined by Team GB teammate and bronze medallist Anthony Ogogo who faces Sheffield’s Wayne Reed.
Callum Smith defends his WBC International Super Middleweight title against Vladine Biosse and his older brother Stephen keeps busy in an eight-round clash as he prepares to fight for a World title in the new season.
Unbeaten Liverpool Featherweight John Quigley is in his 13th fight on the bill which is completed by former Team GB starlet Gamal Yafai and unbeaten Cambridge Lightweight Tommy Martin.
Tickets are on sale priced £30, £40, £60 and ringside seats at £100 available from the Echo Arena on 0844 8000 400 and at www.echoarena.com
VIP tickets priced at £150 are exclusively available from Matchroom Sport on 01277 359900 and at www.matchroomboxing.com
