No fighter possesses greater potential for commercial success this year than that of Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, who is scheduled to fight in May without a guaranteed opponent as of now. The possibility of a fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. this year is realistic, but maybe not by the time May rolls around. With a growing number of fans demanding Alvarez step up and fight a legitimate top 10 fighter in the 154lb division it seems as though Austin Trout — fresh off the biggest victory of his career against Miguel Cotto — is as reasonable opponent as any.
There have been talks recently that suggest Trout is in the running to land that fight, however we’ve been down that road before with Canelo and Trout, along with other creditable fighters, who were passed over for smaller opposition. Trout deserves the fight and it makes more sense now than ever before, after all it was Cotto that was supposed to fight Canelo had he beat Trout, so it makes sense that Trout would reap the benefits of his career defining victory.
“Whether I get that Canelo fight or not I know God has something in store that will be for the betterment of my career,” Trout said on Thaboxingvoice.com radio show when he was a guest last week. Trout, who was reportedly arrested on suspicion of public intoxication clarified on the show that no charges were being brought against him and that he didn’t even receive a ticket in the matter. But speculation has led Trout to believe that his incident, which he describes as a “misunderstanding,” could be used as an excuse to overlook him in the Canelo fight.
“I hope I get that Canelo fight, but I don’t see why not. I know they made a statement about legal issues which I thought was funny. I didn’t even get a ticket. All I do pretty much is read the internet to see what they’re talking about and what the rumors are. I’m waiting for that official call. I do know they’re talking, which is better than them not talking because they weren’t even talking before now and at least they’re saying something.”
Trout would like to get the fight in May because if he could defeat Canelo then it could give him a better chance at landing an even more lucrative fight with Mayweather Jr. It’s a tough roll to play in boxing to be the doorstep to another fight, but that is the roll Golden Boy would like Trout to play. At this point Golden Boy is grooming Canelo for the Mayweather fight and ultimately boxing’s next big Mexican superstar. Trout is looking to throw a monkey wrench in those plans.
“It’s not going to happen (a proposed Canelo-Mayweather fight), I’m going to mess that all up and I think they know that which is why Canelo keeps saying yes and De La Hoya keeps saying no. For the record, I’ve always believed that Canelo himself as a fighter would fight me. I know it’s more of his handlers that don’t have as much confidence in him as he does in himself,” Trout said.
There are many storylines in a proposed Trout-Canelo showdown. For instance, Trout won his WBA title against Saul’s brother Rigoberto Alvarez in front of a hostile crowd in Mexico. That fight has prepared Trout for the kind of scrutiny he would face in a fight against Mexico’s favorite fighter Canelo. Trout is accustomed to fighting in hostile territory, but he says he would like to change that and wants to gain Mexico’s acceptance.
“It’s not my first time going to the [lion’s] den, I’m actually starting to get comfortable and I need to stop getting comfortable with this hostile crowd because I’m trying to get the crowd to love me. Listen Mexico, I’m from New Mexico and I’m pretty damn close, you can adopt me as your own.
“I’m closer to getting my Spanish a lot better than it was. Before you know it I’ll be fluent, I’m working on it and I got Latin blood in me and I see no reason why you can’t adopt me as your champion after I beat Canelo of course,” Trout said.
Cotto does have the option on a rematch with Trout, but Trout feels like that chapter in his career should be closed.
“I see no reason for a rematch [with Cotto], but I’m not against it. [Cotto] has that grace period to take it, but I’ve heard nothing of it.”
For Full Audio of this interview click here: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/thaboxingvoiceradioshow/2013/01/07/friday-night-fights-recap-and-boxing-headlines
