The official press conference to announce the bout between Miguel Cotto vs Austin Trout for Trout’s WBA Jr. Middleweight championship took place yesterday. El Museo Del Barrio on New York’s east side was open to the media and fans for the event. Right from when you walked into the building you had the sense it was a pro-Cotto atmosphere. From the Spanish music glaring out, to the salsa dancers stepping to the beat, Puerto Rican pride was in full effect.
Golden Boy Promotions, Cotto Promotions and Greg Cohen Promotions put the card together and have chosen Showtime to air the event which is sponsored by Corona Beer. December 1st at the Mecca of boxing Madison Square Garden these two warriors will battle.
Miguel Cotto(37-3 30KO’s) enters this bout 3-1 dating back to 2010. His last time out was an inspiring effort against Floyd Mayweather that saw Cotto come up short. He is now getting back in the ring and contending for a world title, though this time it won’t be against one of the top names in the sport. Many people really have no idea who Austin Trout is, which was evident as fans were yelling, WHO? That’s what you heard just about every time Austin’s name was mentioned yesterday. Cotto showed much more respect to Trout in thanking him for the opportunity and by saying, “He’s there because he earned it. He’s there because he won and I’m just going to train the best I can in camp and beat the champion.”
Cotto like his trainer Pedro Diaz kept it short and right to the point when at the podium. “I’m not coming here to talk a lot. I’m coming here to give thanks to the people here, that make me proud of the Puerto Rican heritage here in New York. The camp just began 2 weeks ago; I’m going to do the same as always. I’m going to train hard to beat my opponent and become champion of the world,” Cotto stated.
His opponent, WBA Jr. Middleweight champion Austin Trout (25-0 14KO’s) is looking to retain his title and add the biggest name of his career to his resume. Trout is coming off a disappointing but victorious outing against Delvin Rodriguez, which for most of the fight was a real bore fest.
As soon as you saw Trout yesterday you knew he was loving the moment. With Cotto being the 1st superstar he has fought, he is seeing more cameras and spotlight than ever before in his career. Even with the crowd being there for Cotto, expect for a small section of Trout supporters, Austin gave thanks to the crowd and also stated, ” Whether your cheering for me or against me it’s the passion that you guys carry that makes this sport fly. I’m not worried about the crowd. I know you all are going to be out there full force. But I promise you December 1st there’s going to be a new star.”
Austin also showed some swagger and confidence in saying, “December 1st you guys are all going to see why I’m here and why I’m the champion. I’ve got 2 things in this sport right now, my belt and my undefeated record and I plan to keep both of them on December 1st.”
While Cotto is used to the lights and attention, this is brand new to Trout. While Cotto is more reserved and straight to the point, Trout is soaking it all in and enjoying the moment. While Trout is undefeated and a world champion, his resume is not on the level of Cotto as he is battle tested and has been in there with the bests of the best.
On December 1st, we’ll see if Trout is the threat some feel and we’ll have some new blood in the spotlight. Or we’ll see Miguel Cotto, business as usual winning another world title. It’s called the Showdown and it seems every bit as enticing as the title of the bout.
