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Austin Trout aims for second title in Las Vegas fight

It wasn’t too long ago that Austin Trout had the crowd at Madison Square Garden on its feet as he traded punches with fan favorite Miguel Cotto in a thrilling 12th round.

Trout defeated the future Hall of Famer and Puerto Rican sensation by unanimous decision to retain his World Boxing Association junior middleweight title on a December night in 2012.

That signature victory in New York marked Trout’s arrival. The climb to the top of the 154-pound division didn’t last long for the New Mexico native.

These days, Trout could be found in Washington, D.C., as a former champion living in obscurity.

“Anybody that introduces me always says the former, and right away I have to correct them — ‘and the future,’” Trout said. “I’m the former and future champ. I tell everybody, anybody that would listen, that I will be champion again.”

A motivated Trout (30-2, 17 knockouts) is training in the nation’s capital for his fight against Jermall Charlo (23-0, 18 KOs) at the Chelsea inside The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas on May 21. Charlos’ International Boxing Federation junior middleweight belt will be on the line.

The Trout-Charlo bout will be the co-feature in a rare card that features three title matches in the same division. WBA champion Erislandy Lara is set to battle Vanes Martirosyan in a headline rematch. Charlo’s twin brother, Jermell, will meet John Jackson for the World Boxing Council vacant strap in the Showtime television opener.

The junior middleweight fights could be the start of a tournament to forge an undisputed champion.

“I hope that they’re setting it up for unification matches,” said Trout, who will be a first-time fighter in Las Vegas. “That’s what I’m hoping for. That’s still my goal since I was little boy to be the undisputed champion. It was actually to be the undefeated undisputed champion, but I can’t go back into time and erase those two losses, but I’ll take undisputed champion.”

Trout came close to unifying the WBA and WBC titles in 2013 when he fell to Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in a tight, exciting match.

Canelo went on to be a superstar in the sport, while Trout lost a second straight fight to Lara and has since been an afterthought.

Trout blamed the two defeats to outside distractions and being arrogant.

“Spiritually I wasn’t right,” Trout said. “God put me here to please him, and after I beat Cotto, I felt like I wasn’t pleasing God, to be honest. I wasn’t living correctly outside the ring as I should have, which was one of my wake-up calls.

“The back-to-back losses got rid of a lot of snakes around me, so that in itself was a blessing.”

The boxer known as “No Doubt” Trout has gotten his life together and is itching to get another belt around his waist, but he’s also planning his life after boxing.

Trout was one of the fighters from the boxing and mixed martial arts industry to be in attendance for the brain health event in Washington, D.C., last week. The Nevada Athletic Commission announced during the press conference that it will require all licensed fighters in the state to undergo regular brain health testing.

“It’s cool to see that leaders like Sen. John McCain and industry leaders from Spike TV and (boxing promoter) Al Haymon are funding this research that can help fighters such as myself prepare adequately for a life after boxing,” Trout said.

Trout said he isn’t looking past the talented 25-year-old Jermall Charlo, but he still has Alvarez and Lara on his mind.

“I think about it a lot,” Trout said about future rematches. “They’re on my hit list. I feel like I’m the best, but with those two losses in my column it’s hard to prove. The only way to erase those losses is by going back and defeating the guys that defeated me.”

Trout, a southpaw, could soon get a shot at Lara by defeating Charlo, the right-handed power puncher from Houston. Get by Charlo and Lara, and that opens the doors for a possible bout against Alvarez, the man who handed Trout his first loss.

Born and raised in Las Cruces, New Mexico, Trout became an avid fan of the New Mexico State men’s basketball team and is friends with Marvin Menzies, the new UNLV coach who left the Aggies.

“It’s bittersweet to see him go, but he’s a good coach,” Trout said. “He’s a good guy. I’m sure he’ll do a good job at UNLV. (Menzies) told me he’ll come to the fight.”

Contact Gilbert Manzano at gmanzano@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0492. Follow him on Twitter: @gmanzano24

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