Austin Trout, a former opponent of Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, has issued a warning to Jermell Charlo ahead of their bout this fall
In their 2013 super welterweight unification match, Trout was defeated by Alvarez by decision. Canelo lost to Floyd Mayweather in his subsequent fight by a wide margin.
After that, he went sixteen fights without losing, with his only loss being a draw with Gennady Golovkin.
When he attempted to defend his second light heavyweight title against Dmitry Bivol in 2022, he was unsuccessful and returned in 2023 with two victories over Golovkin in their trilogy fight and John Ryder, both by unanimous decisions.
Trout acknowledged to Fight Hype that he was doubtful about Charlo’s prospects of winning the bout, even if he does defeat Alvarez.
“I’m backing Canelo. You think Charlo will receive a decision even if he puts up a fantastic fight and prevails?
That is my sentiment. I’m hoping Charlo surprises them.
“If I were a gambler, I’d advise betting on Canelo. Because I believe Charlo will have difficulty winning the decision and eliminating Canelo.
Since his knockout victory over Caleb Plant in 2021, Alvarez has held sway at 168 pounds. In contrast, Charlo stopped Brian Castano earlier in 2023 to become the undisputed champion at super welterweight, 14 pounds and two weight classes below Canelo
Jermall, Charlo’s twin brother, had been supposed to be taken on by Canelo, but he pulled out of the fight at the last minute, forcing ‘Mell to step in.
Although they competed in different weight classes, they both fought at 154 pounds at the same time, and some in the sport believe that their differences in stature may not be as important as they first appear to be.
Even if Trout believes the odds are stacked against him, it would be silly to entirely rule out Charlo at the T-Mobile Arena on September 20 given those two factors, as well as the fact that many in the sport believe the Mexican is a fighter on the decline.
