Sports

Trout fishing for Alvarez

One has been groomed to be the next boxing superstar from Mexico. The other forced people to take notice. Saturday night, they meet at the Alamodome in San Antonio to decide the true king of the 154-pound division.

Saul Canelo Alvarez, the WBC super welterweight champion, faces Austin “No Doubt” Trout, the WBA super welterweight champion, in a highly anticipated bout to be televised by Showtime.

Alvarez has a huge following in his native Mexico, but has spent much of the last three years trying to raise his profile in the United States, where he has fought six of his last 10 fights.

He has the backing of Golden Boy Promotions and the premium boxing networks. He is the main reason more than 38,000 fans are expected to fill the Alamodome.

Trout (26-0, 14 KOs) of Las Cruces, N.M., won his title by beating Canelo’s brother Rigoberto Alvarez in February 2011, but was a virtual unknown until out-pointing Miguel Cotto last December at Madison Square Garden. Trout’s performance was impressive enough to land him this fight with Alvarez (41-0-1, 30 KOs).

“Canelo is a champion, and he wants to please his fans,” Trout said. “If his fans didn’t say that he needed to fight me to prove that he’s the true champion, then I don’t think he would have done it.”

As he was against Cotto, Trout is a huge underdog. But that doesn’t bother him, considering he has been overlooked in many of his recent fights. He’s confident people will take notice once his hand is raised after beating Alvarez.

“My strategy is to win by any means possible,” Trout said. “Whether it is brawling, boxing, moving, sticking there, staying there, whatever I need to do, we’re going to win.

“I want to be a legend in this game. I don’t want to be a one-hit wonder.I’ve been the underdog a lot. What they think doesn’t bother me. I’m here to win. I’m here to win decisively. What the odds say, what the people say, is not really going to affect what happens in the ring.”

Alvarez is a power puncher with a vicious body attack. He stopped Josesito Lopez in five rounds last September. Lopez was a blown-up junior welterweight. Trout is full-fledged 154-pounder and a southpaw.

“If I want to win this fight, I have to move fast,” Alvarez said. “I have to watch out for Trout’s left. I’ve been studying his style and I can definitely adapt to it. It’s going to be tough, but I know I can beat him. I trust I have what it takes to beat him.

“After defeating Trout, I will raise my hand and my belt and will be thinking of my brother. That belt is his.”

* Heavyweight contender Tyson Fury makes his American debut this afternoon when he takes on Steve “USS” Cunningham at the Garden Theater. Tickets are available and doors open at 1:15 p.m. with the main event set to be broadcast at 4 p.m. on NBC as part of the NBC Fight Night series.

The card is being promoted by Main Events. The 6-foot-9 Fury has created a sensation in the United Kingdom while compiling a 20-0 record with 14 knockouts.

“It’s something that I’ve dreamt about since I was a little kid,” Fury said. “Coming to New York and fighting at Madison Square Garden, it’s finally come true.”

Cunningham, a native of Philadelphia, is 25-5 with 12 KOs. He was a two-time cruiserweight champion, but has lost three of his past four fights. He lost a controversial split decision to Tomasz Adamek last December at the Prudential Center in a fight many thought Cunningham won.