WBA champion looking to take down Saul Alvarez in world title bout.
Austin Trout, who surprised Miguel Cotto for the World Boxing Association light middleweight world title, will look for another upset Saturday in San Antonio when he takes on World Boxing Council champ Saul “Canelo” Alvarez.
Trout’s punishing unanimous decision over Puerto Rico’s Cotto at New York’s Madison Square Garden saw the 27-year-old US southpaw improve to 26-0 with 14 knockouts and cemented his status as a rising ring star.
His title and that of Mexico’s Alvarez will both be on the line on Saturday at San Antonio’s Alamodome, and Trout expects a tough fight from the 22-year-old Alvarez — a grinding puncher like Cotto who also has youth on his side.
Alvarez improved to 41-0-1 with a fifth-round technical knockout of Josesito Lopez last September. He knocked Lopez down three times en route to the victory.
“Canelo is in his prime, he’s undefeated and he’s not battle worn,” Trout said.
“He’s still got a lot of pop and life left in him.
“We just want to up the intensity from the Miguel Cotto fight,” Trout added. “Even though they’re not the same fighter, they have similar styles.
“We want to up the intensity because Canelo is a bit more intense of a fighter than Miguel Cotto.”
Alvarez, for his part, confidently predicted a victory – although he didn’t expect it to be easy.
“If I want to win this fight, I have to move fast,” he said. “I have to watch out for Trout’s left.
“I’ve been studying his style and I can definitely adapt to it. It’s going to be tough, but I know I can beat him.”
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