By Chris Robinson
On Friday afternoon, junior middleweight belt holders Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and Austin ‘No Doubt’ Trout caused quite a stir when they took to their personal Twitter accounts to all but announce that a May 4th clash is taking place between them.
Upon hearing word of the fight, several boxing insiders chimed in with their two cents on what figures to be a compelling and evenly-matched affair. While Alvarez is one of boxing’s rising stars, Trout is coming off of a career-best win this past December over proven veteran Miguel Cotto.
While at the Mayweather Boxing Club in Las Vegas recently, I gathered some feedback from some fighters and trainers in the building on Alvarez vs. Trout.
Here’s what everyone had to say…
“I actually think that’s going to be a very good fight, an exciting fight for the fans. Definitely a step up for Mr. Canelo. Obviously he hasn’t fought a lot of tough opponents. A lot of opponents he’s been fighting, he’s meant to beat. I think this a very good step up for him. It’s a young Trout, coming off of a very big victory over Cotto and it’s definitely that he needs to do and something the fans need to see.” – Luis ‘Cuba’ Arias, middleweight prospect (2-0, 1 KO)
“Good, competitive fight. I don’t know. Right now Austin Trout is on a high horse. He just beat Miguel Cotto; convincing win. It will be challenging, I really can’t say. Two different styles. I think it will be his toughest opponent, for Canelo.” – J’Leon Love, middleweight prospect (14-0, 8 KO’s)
“I think it will be good fight. I think Canelo, he’s an amazing boxer. He’s real sharp, real slick; moves, counters real well. Austin’s a bigger guy and if he stays on the outside and boxes him, I think he can beat him.” – Joseph Elegele, welterweight prospect (13-1, 10 KO’s)
“Man, that’s kind of hard to call. I think it’s a 50/50 fight. Alvarez will have to put the pressure. Trout will have to box like he usually does. I give Trout the edge just a little bit.” – Cortez Bey, welterweight prospect (8-1-1, 4 KO’s)
“Like I said, I think it’s going to be a good fight. I think Austin Trout proved he should be up in the top ten with the fight with Cotto. Canelo, he’s a force to be reckoned with and I think it’s going to be a real good fight. At the end of the day, when you see them guys fight, you know they’re true fighters. To be honest, I don’t have a prediction, but I just want to see a real good fight.” – Rodney Crisler, trainer
“I think that would be an amazing fight, because styles make fights. Trout loves those guys that come after him. He’s a southpaw and a counter-puncher. Prediction? I’m the worst at predicting fights so I wouldn’t want to bet on any of my predictions. But it’s a good one for sure.” – Adam Trupish, junior middleweight prospect (11-0, 8 KO’s)
“I’ve got to go with Alvarez. I think Alvarez; he’s just a beast at that weight. He’s a big guy, strong, powerful and it’s like he’s been doing that forever. He’s naturally gifted and it’s a habit now. He knows what he’s doing. I’ll say Alvarez.” – Steve Claggett, welterweight prospect (15-1-1, 10 KO’s)
“I think that’s going to be a very intriguing fight. Because you have Canelo, a big junior middleweight, and Austin Trout, also a big junior middleweight. Trout is the more accomplished boxer; Canelo is more of a slugger. I wouldn’t be surprised if there is an upset.” – Eddie Mustafa Muhammad, former light heavyweight champion and current day trainer
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Chris Robinson can be reached at Trimond@aol.com and www.HustleBoss.com