By Dan Ambrose: WBA World junior middleweight champion Austin Trout (26-0, 14 KO’s) laughed out loud when he was asked by the media if WBC junior middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (41-0-1, 30 KO’s) would now fight him after Trout’s 12 round decision victory over Miguel Cotto last Saturday night. It was as if Trout was being asked an absurd question because he doesn’t see it happening, calling Canelo the “Golden Goose” for Golden Boy promotions.
Trout said this at the post fight press conference: “[My performance] I think with the fans it was [good], but with him [Canelo Alvarez] and his promoters [Golden Boy Promotions], I don’t think so. I think it was too good of a performance. They might not put him in there. I think they want to keep him [Alvarez] the Golden Goose, and a fight with me would be a risky one. Once the fans are behind me they can’t help but to make the fight happen.”
That’s funny, Alvarez being considered Golden Boy’s “Golden Goose.” But Trout has an excellent point. Canelo Alvarez, for whatever reason, is hugely popular in Mexico, and he’s got a fairly significant following in the United States despite having fought a handful of less than spectacular opponents during his 7 year pro career. Alvarez has a built up record without any substance as of yet. But Canelo’s popularity makes him a potential gold mine for Golden Boy Promotions, and if he lay golden eggs for GBP like a Golden Goose, why would they risk putting him in with someone that can actually fight like Trout, and who’s not small and old like many of Alvarez’s opponents have been. Trout is young and has good height at 5’10’.
Trout probably did look too good in beating Cotto for him to get the fight with Alvarez. Perhaps if he had been knocked down two or three times and barely scrapped through with a close decision, he might be in a better position than he is now. But beating a guy like Cotto better than Floyd Mayweather Jr. did probably didn’t help matters any, although I don’t there was ever any serious consideration from Golden Boy to match Alvarez against Trout to begin with. He’s too different from the guys that Golden Boy has been matching him with all these years. Trout is too able-bodied, too young, too tall, and too skilled compared to Alvarez’s past opponents. This is why I see Golden Boy not letting Trout get the fight with Alvarez.
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