2. w UD 12 Austin Trout [2013]
THOUGH Alvarez was undoubtedly en route to stardom at this stage, the 39,247 attendance for this fight attests to this, he had yet to produce an in-ring performance to properly justify his popularity.
Trout was coming off of an upset win over Miguel Cotto, scuppering a fight between the Puerto Rican and Alvarez, and held the WBA world light-middleweight crown. Both men were unbeaten world champions (Alvarez held the WBC strap) and the San Antonio crowd were at fever pitch by the time the two boxers met.
A tricky southpaw, Trout troubled Alvarez in the early stages, utilising his advantages in height and reach. However the young Mexican displayed hitherto unseen defensive capabilities, slipping Trout’s shots with head and upper body movement.
In the seventh, he punctuated his display by dropping Trout with a stiff right hand, though the American gamely rose. He then became the aggressor, but Alvarez smartly counterpunched to win a unanimous decision – setting up a superfight with Floyd Mayweather.
Photo: Naoki Fukuda
