The biggest fight of this weekend, by a notable margin sees the much maligned Light Middleweight division thrust into the boxing spotlight as unbeaten fighters collide in a genuinely exciting unification bout. In one corner you have the often over-looked Austin "No Doubt" Trout (26-0, 14) who currently holds the WBA Light Middleweight title in the other corner you have the WBC champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez (41-0-1, 30). On the line are both the WBC title and the WBA "super" title and of course bragging rights, the Ring title and the consensus #1 ranking at 154lbs. The stakes could hardly be bigger.
Of the two men the pressure is certainly more on flame haired Mexican Alvarez. The 22 year from Jalisco is seen by many as "the next superstar of boxing" with a huge female fan base, a unique look, a fun to watch style and a genuine charisma about him as well the Golden Boy hype machine which has pushed him in to the limelight in the US in the hope of making him a superstar.
So far in his 42 fight career things have been good for Alvarez who has only been troubled a handful of times a career that dates back to October 2010. In fact the closest Alvarez has come to losing was a split decision victory over Miguel Vazquez (yes, the current IBF Lightweight champion) and a draw to little known Jorge Juarez, though he was rocked in his first high profile US bout by Jose Miguel Cotto (in what was Canelo's 3rd US fight).
The stocky Mexican fighter is certainly a born fighter having been impressive since he was 15 and fighting obscure opponents in Mexico. Though many do doubt his actual creditability in the Light Middleweight division where some have ranked him #1. So far his wins in world title bouts have been against very limited opponents including the brave but outclassed Matthew Hatton, the much smaller Alfonso Gomez and Josesito Lopez, the old Shane Mosley and Ryan Rhodes and the mentally weak Kermit Cintron.
With the other fighters in the division, including Trout, Miguel Cotto, Floyd Mayweather, Javier Maciel, Erislandy Lara, Ishe Smith, James Kirkland and Alfredo Anguloit's fair to say that Alvarez's competition has been beyond poor since becoming a world champion.
Whilst "Canelo" has been fighting poor opponents he's been receiving the media acclaim of a fighter who is a pound-for-pound fighter. Whilst I don't mean to take away from his skills he doesn't look as rounded as the media have portrayed him. In fact defensively Alvarez has looked porous, offensively he's looked surprisingly quick though not as heavy handed as his record would indicate and whilst his shots are crisp he can be made to look lazy at times and his feet certainly aren't the swiftest.
As the under-dog it's fair to say there is less pressure on Trout who although unbeaten was pretty unknown by the wider boxing public just a few fights back, in fact until he beat Miguel Cotto (in what was considered a betting upset) it's fair to say that Trout was a completely overlooked fighter in the 154lb mix. This was despite notable wins in both Panama and Mexico over Nilson Julio Tapia, Rigoberto Alvarez ("Canelo's" brother) and David Lopez as well as a solid victory on Showtime against Delvin Rodriguez.
Like Alvarez, Trout is unbeaten since his debut in 2005 (a month before "Canelo") and although he's not had the hype and the promotional backing of Alvarez he's certainly proven his character fighting on the road on a regular basis. Be it in Panama, Mexico, Canada or Miguel Cotto's "adoptive home" of New York, Trout has had to prove his ability on the road and win decisions when he wasn't expected to.
In terms of his style, Trout has often been called a spoiler and whilst he can spoil fights, the southpaw isn't really that negative just very controlling in a fight. He's very highly skilled, he lacks explosive power but he certainly can hit hard enough to make fighters think twice, he has great movement and whilst not the most active at times he's a fighter who seems capable of putting his foot on the gas if and when needed. Like Canelo it's his hand speed more than anything that really stands out, though he certainly has a foot speed edge over Canelo and probably also a technical edge despite not having the power of the Mexican.
Going in to the bout Trout will know that he will need to clearly win the bout to get a decision. The Golden Boy backing that Alvarez has had won't be written off easily though "The Golden Boy Curse" could of course strike again here as it did Jorge Linares (against Juan Carlos Salgado) and Victor Ortiz (against Marcos Maidana).
With all the variables and intangibles going into this bout it's hardnot to get excited about it. Of course the bout has the potential to be a bit of let down considering whats on the the line especially when we remember back to the last unification bout in the US between unbeaten champions (Timothy Bradley v Devon Alexander) however I'm personally expecting an electric atmosphere and a bout to remember.
Sadly as much as I'm looking forward to this I can't help but feel that the actual result will be less than the fighters deserve. The gut feeling is that Canelo wins a very controversial decision due to his popularity though part of me also sees Trout turning it on very late and making sure the judges can't screw him. If Trout can't stop Alvarez he may end up getting a draw when he deserves a victory.
Prediction- Draw.
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