Austin "No Doubt" Trout rebounded from back-to-back losses to Canelo Alvarez and Erislandy Lara in 2013 by defeating Daniel Dawson on the season finale of ESPN's Friday Night Fights. Despite getting knocked down twice in Round 3, Trout easily outpointed Dawson en route to a unanimous decision win, and may find himself in the mix for a bigger fight his next time out.
Prior to the Dawson fight, Trout confidently called out both Alvarez and Lara for rematches.
James Kirkland a possible opponent for Canelo Alvarez and Erislandy Lara
"I'd love to get Canelo or Lara in the next fight," Trout said. "We know it's a business and we also know you work your way back, and that's what I plan on doing. When I watched Cotto dismantle Sergio Martinez, it confirmed to me I'm still a threat. The guy that beat Cotto is still here, and in all honesty the best is yet to come. I will be victorious and my hand will be raised at the end of the night."
Either fight would be a big one for Trout, whose stock dropped precipitously following the only two losses of his career, and a Lara fight is probably closer to happening than an Alvarez rematch. Trout's defensive style bothered Alvarez when they fought--although Alvarez won by unanimous decision the judges' scorecards were criticized for the margin of victory.
Alvarez tells Lara he can have rematch when he "learns how to fight"
Also, Alvarez has been linked to a fight with James Kirkland this winter. Kirkland is a bigger puncher than Trout, and more of a brawler which will help restore Alvarez's image following a dull battle vs. Lara in July.
Lara, on the other hand, is coming off a very controversial loss to Alvarez. Like Trout, Lara's movement and defense gave Alvarez fits-he lost by split decision last month to the dismay of many in the boxing public.
When Lara and Trout fought, Lara won convincingly and sent Trout to the canvas for just the second time of his career. The names mentioned for Lara's next fight are Ishe Smith and Vanes Martirosyan, neither of whom has the name value of Trout.
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