By John-Paul Wolfe
When Austin Trout received a phone call offering him a fight against boxing superstar Miguel Cotto, he was admittedly shocked that this unexpected, but welcome, opportunity had arisen. Trout was a name unfamiliar to many in boxing and seemed a surprising choice to be squaring off against one of the sports best. It was clear to all that Austin Trout had been selected as an opponent who Cotto’s people suspected would not pose a serious threat to the star of the show. However, Austin had other plans and proved to all that he belongs with the very best at 154 lbs.
Following his upset victory in December 2012, the boxing world became excited to see more of the 27 year old from New Mexico. Trout is now scheduled to fight Saul Alvarez on May 4th. Alvarez was anointed the next big thing in boxing while compiling impressive wins against the likes of Shane Mosley, Matthew Hatton and Alfonso Gomez, where his record now stands at 41-0.
With a loss against Alvarez, Austin Trout could be forgotten as quickly as he emerged, and once again be forced to fight much weaker competition for substantially less pay. However, a win against Alvarez would surely propel Trout into stardom. His victory against Cotto was unexpected, now no one is looking past Trout. He has a chance to gain what his last and next opponents already have, recognition, respect and power that comes with being one the few elite fighters in boxing. After May 4th it may be Trout picking opponents who will certainly be eager to get a piece of the champ.
