On April 20th, San Antonio will play host to one of the biggest bouts on the 2013 calendar when WBC title holder Saul ?Canelo? Alvarez and WBA kingpin Austin ?No Doubt? Trout look to unify their respective shares of the world junior middleweight championship. The two unbeaten champs are primed for super-stardom and are risking their belts and reputations by challenging each other in a high-stakes contest. The Showtime network will bring us the action from the Canelo-friendly confines of the gargantuan Alamo Dome, as 25,000+ are expected to witness the action live, with tix beginning at $10 (TEN BUCKS for a title unification?!?! This HAS to be a record-low price..)
As you may have heard by now, the original plan was for this match to take place on the big May 4 Mayweather-Guerrero card as the co-feature. Long story short, Alvarez (41-0-1, 30 KO?s) wanted an automatic Mayweather tussle pending victories for both men on the 4th, Floyd wouldn?t agree to the terms, neither guy would budge, so they went their separate ways and each guy got their own date/venue/telecast.
The boxer-puncher vs. the crafty southpaw ?formula? has produced some intriguing match-ups in recent boxing history. Middleweight champ Sergio Martinez completely outmaneuvered Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. for 11 1/2 rounds last September before nearly falling apart at the seams following a savage rally in one of 2012′s best contests. Winky Wright made a career out of out-jabbing righty?s such as Felix Trinidad, while orthodox tacticians such as Roy Jones and Floyd Mayweather have traditionally gobbled-up southpaws with their right cross & clean counter punching.
The key for victory in these scenarios has generally been for one competitor to set the pace early and establish their rhythm before the opponent gets into a groove themselves. When Austin Trout (26-0, 14 KO?s) dominated Miguel Cotto last year in his star-making performance, he was razor-sharp from the outset, confusing Cotto with great footwork and crisp counter shots from all angles. By the time The Puerto Rican star found his range, he was well behind on the cards, and Trout ultimately won by a comfortable margin.
The same can be said for Alvarez? victory over Shane Mosley last May, as the budding Mexican legend dominated from the outset by moving his man backwards and attacking to the head and body when he closed the distance. Shane couldn?t get anything going, and Canelo earned his biggest W to date by out-hustling one of the hardest workers in boxing.
So the question now becomes: who?s gonna set the tone? Which guy can establish dominance early in the bout to gain the lead on the cards? And if/when this happens, can the other man switch to plan B to off-set the pace and gain control of the action?
My money is on Austin Trout being the guy to come out boxing from the get-go, working the jab & hook from mid-range to take an early lead in points. The key for Canelo will be to neutralize Trout?s abilities at center ring by cutting him off and trapping him in the corner and along the ropes in order to land effective blows. If either man is capable of switching to a plan B I would say it?s Canelo, and he will likely have to do exactly that in the mid-rounds if he wants to escape the Alamo Dome with his perfect record in tact.
Will Trout be the guy that gets out to a fast start? And if so, does Canelo have the savvy and experience to switch gears and take control of the action? There?s only one way to find out?tune in in the 20th!
