Former WBA junior middleweight champion Austin Trout is picking Jermell Charlo to upset Canelo Alvarez this Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
(Photo credit: Andrew Hemingway/SHOWTIME)
Trout has shared the ring with both fighters, and he feels that Jermell (35-1-1, 19 Kos) is the faster, more powerful, and more athletic of the two.
Obviously, it’ll be a huge blow to Canelo’s career losing to Jermell, as he would no longer be the undisputed super middleweight champion, and getting beaten by a guy that fights two divisions below at 154 would make it look worse.
Canelo had a built-in excuse for losing to the bigger WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol last year, as he competes at 175. Getting beaten by Jermell would make it clear to the boxing world that Canelo isn’t the fighter he once was.
Trout lost to Canelo in a fight that was a lot closer than the scores handed down by the judges in 2013. They scored 115–112, 116–111, and 118–109. A lot of fans thought Trout had done enough to deserve the win.
In contrast, Trout was dominated by Jermell in 2018, getting dropped twice, losing a twelve unanimous decision by the scores 113-113, 115–111, and 118–108.
“Jermell can move and punch. I don’t think Canelo [can do that]. He has to stand still and get set to throw his shots, but Canelo’s footwork has gotten much better since we fought. So, I’m not negating that fact,” said Austin Trout to Fight Hub TV social channel.
“On paper, Canelo should win the fight, but then there are so many unknowns with Charlo that I think if everything lines up right, he could take it, and I’m picking him for the upset.
“Will he get a close decision that he deserves is another question mark. It’s on a PBC card. Vegas, that’s a home turf advantage for Canelo.
“It wasn’t a close fight,” said Trout about Canelo’s contest last year against Dmitry Bivol, in which the judges at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas scored a razor-close, identical 115-113 x 3.
“He still needs that wide base to get his shots off, especially that hook to the body or that left hook, period. Canelo had pretty good defense, and I’m going to give him the edge on the defense side.
“He’s not a very defensive fighter, but he did have good defense with head movement and things like that.
“Charlo, he was more of just kind of come and try to mow you down. Take a step back, come back, and try to mow you down. So, really, my offense wasn’t on the front street for that fight. Like I said, I was on the back foot for that fight [with Jermell].
“He was strong, but I was never worried about Canelo’s power like I was about Jermell. I’m not saying I shouldn’t have been because Canelo did drop me, and he did buzz me in plenty of those rounds.
