Seventeen years ago, Austin Trout walked into a boxing gym in Las Cruces, N.M., and decided he wanted to be a champion. He won his world title two years ago. Last night, he earned the respect that comes with the belt.
Fighting in front of a hostile crowd, Trout successfully defended his WBA super welterweight title with a unanimous decision over Miguel Cotto at Madison Square Garden.
It was an entertaining and rugged fight that appeared even going into the final rounds. But Trout dominated the final two rounds and won easily on the scorecards. Two judges scored the fight 117-111, while a third scored it 119-109. The Post saw the bout 115-113 for Trout.
“I’ve been preparing for this fight my entire life,” Trout said. “Fighting someone like Miguel Cotto is a dream come true for any fighter like me who is waiting for his big moment.”
A pro-Cotto crowd of 13,096 left the Garden disappointed as Trout left the third-time world champion battered and bruised. Two of the three judges had Trout winning each of the final six rounds while the other awarded Cotto just one of those rounds. Trout landed 238 punches, according to Compubox, while Cotto landed 183. Trout also landed 192 power punches to 154 for Cotto.
“He’s a southpaw, so it was a difficult fight,” Cotto said. “I felt I did my job. He came at me with both hands. It was a great fight. We fought until the end.”
Trout’s game plan, according to his trainer Louie Burke, was not to stand in front of Cotto, but stay out of the pocket and counterpunch from different angles. Trout, a southpaw, stayed light on his feet in the first round, but staggered Cotto with hard left to the head.
Cotto shook off the punch and got more aggressive in the second round, forcing Trout to the ropes. But Trout held his ground, pushing Cotto back into the middle of the ring.
“I had to show I was the bigger guy and push him back a couple of times to show him he had no advantage there,” Trout said.
Cotto (37-4, 30 KOs) stayed determined, applying relentless pressure. But Trout (26-0, 14 KOs) looked hurt by a Cotto left hand in the fourth and needed to find a way to halt the Puerto Rican’s attack. Staying in the middle of the ring and keeping his hands moving was the only deterrent.
“My coach [Burke] told me to use my speed and stop trying to get into a slugging match,” Trout said. “I’m a really teachable fighter. I then got into a better rhythm and was able to take advantage of my skills.”
In the fifth, Cotto landed a solid left to the head early and then another left in the middle of the round. Trout answered with a low blow that drew a warning from referee Charlie Fitch. Cotto pasted Trout with a solid right hand to start the sixth. Trout shook off the punch, but another Cotto left drew a roar from the crowd.
Trout re-established himself in the seventh round using quick sharp punches on Cotto, who was showing swelling under his left eye. Trout fared well in the eighth and ninth round as Cotto looked like he was tiring.
With the Garden crowd chanting his name, Cotto came out hard in what proved to be a terrific final round with each fighter exchanging in the middle of the ring as the bell sounded.
Cotto initially left the ring in disgust, believing he won the fight. It was his second straight loss. He said he would evaluate his career after some rest.