Austin ?No Doubt? Trout is the former WBA light middleweight champion and a fighter who holds a win over the current middleweight champion, Miguel Cotto. Now having won three fights in a row, Trout is looking to win back a title in 2015. In my ?On The Ropes? boxing radio interview with Trout, I discuss with him his recent with over Luis Galarza and what direction he is looking to go in next. Trout also talks about Canelo Alvarez?s thrilling win over James Kirkland and the possibility of getting another shot at Alvarez. Additionally, Austin gives his thoughts on Mayweather vs. Pacquiao, and talks about how far he sees himself from a world title. Here is what Austin Trout had to say.
Jenna J: You?re coming off of a win, you defeated Luis Galarza by seventh round TKO, how do you feel about your performance?
Austin Trout: It was good, we got the right outcome. I can?t really complain about anything, we got the win in good fashion. I?m very happy with the win and I?m happy with the performance. Ultimately we made the best of what happened.
Jenna J: The opponent you took on wasn?t the opponent you were supposed to take on, you were supposed to take on Anthony Mundine. How was it like making that last minute adjustment?
Austin Trout: Like I?ve said before, the realms of the unknown are dangerous. Not knowing what this guy got and what he?s been doing, it kind of leaves a little worry in the back of my mind, but we just implemented our will on him. That?s what we ended up doing. It took seven rounds to get him out of there, but a couple of those rounds were figuring out what he doesn?t like.
Jenna J: You?re on a three fight winning streak. How do you feel being on the right side of things?
Austin Trout: I feel back to myself and ready to make a run for the title. My original opponent for this Saturday was Anthony Mundine and I believe that fight is still on the table, so we?re definitely gonna try to scratch that tree and get that number one ranking.
Jenna J: Do you think if the fight with Mundine gets rescheduled, that you might have to go to Australia to fight him?
Austin Trout: No, he?s still gotta come over here because it was for the Premier Boxing Champions series and they haven?t made any schedules to go out of the country that I know of. If he wants to come and be seen, he?s gotta do it in America.
I?m not saying I have any problems going to Australia, it?s actually on my bucket list to visit that country, so I?d be more than happy to go that way if it was possible. For viewing wise, it would be in our best interest to stay and do it on the PBC network.
Jenna J: What do you think about the Premier Boxing Champions series? How do you feel about that outlet?
Austin Trout: I?m very excited and I?m very honored and flattered to be a part of that. Even thought they just showed highlights of my fight, it was twenty seconds on a huge network, so I?ll definitely that that. I?m just looking forward to being in more fights, if they want to film the whole ones, then put the whole fight up. The exposure was great.
Jenna J: Besides the number one ranking, what are you looking for in the 154lb division? What are your goals?
Austin Trout: I want to be champ again, I want to get a belt and possibly unify it and also get rid of some of those losses that I have on my record. I?m really world title minded and rematch minded. After that, there?s no reason to stay at 154lbs.
Jenna J: One of your former opponents, Saul Alvarez, is coming off of a very exciting knockout win over James Kirkland. Did you get a chance to see that fight?
Austin Trout: Oh yeah I definitely did, I saw the fight. He looked strong but Kirkland was the perfect opponent for him.
Jenna J: Were you surprised of how that fight played out?
Austin Trout: I thought Kirkland had a lot left in him. He looked a little sluggish from the get go, but then again, catching that uppercut can make anybody look sluggish. I pray for James? safety and hope he reassesses his career and his future.
Jenna J: Do you think it was good for the sport to have a fight like that? One week earlier there was the Mayweather vs. Pacquiao fight that disappointed a lot of people. Do you think the Canelo fight was refreshing for fans?
Austin Trout: I don?t know. That?s a good question because I enjoyed the Mayweather fight, even though it wasn?t what people thought. For me it was more on Pacquiao, I thought Pacquiao was gonna be able to bring it more. He was semi-successful, he just didn?t do it enough.
Floyd showed a masterful performance and something I love to watch, people with skills showcase their skills. The Canelo fight was exciting but we kind of knew what was going to happen. Canelo just went out and did more. I think you need both, I think you need the drama, the blood and guts, and you also need the sweet science. That?s the whole spectrum of the boxing game.
Jenna J: A lot of people don?t seem to be giving Floyd the credit that he deserves for beating Pacquiao because the fight wasn?t exciting. Do you think Floyd?s win is getting underrated?
Austin Trout: Absolutely. He made the guy who people thought was the number two pound-for-pound great look like an amateur. I thought Maidana gave a better fight. It shows you how great Floyd was, and again, my disappointment is in Pacquiao because not only did he not lay it on the line, it looked like he was either tired or gave up around the middle rounds and that?s not normal of Pacquiao.
Jenna J: Being the fact that you have a loss to both of them, out of either one of them, which would you like a chance to have another opportunity with?
Austin Trout: I would say Canelo, definitely. I felt that there were a lot of things that were stacked against before I stepped into the ring, and I felt like I still did enough to win the fight. But at the same time, there were things I could have done to make that an even wider margin. It was not my best performance by far and I would love another chance to right that wrong, but I do want a rematch with Lara as well.
