On June 2, Austin Trout defends his WBA 154-pound title against veteran Delvin Rodriguez. Trout, out of New Mexico, is 24-0-1 (14 KOs) in career that is just under 7 years old. Rodriguez, 32, is a 13+-year pro with a record of 26-5-3 (14). But despite the records, Rodriguez is more the known quantity and this will be the first chance for Trout to show what he is capable of doing on a big stage.
- Date: June 2, 2012
- Site: Home Depot Center in Carson, California
- Weight Class: WBA Junior Middleweight Title: 12 Rounds
It’s hard to get a read on Trout, considering the guys he has fought. Watching him fight gives one mixed feelings. While you can see him taking it to the next level perhaps, there are questions that need to be answered. This fight should help answer those. He’s a boxer-puncher, but exactly how good is still up in the air. Is he a boxer-puncher because he’s versatile or is it because he neither boxes or punches terribly well?
Trout is a good southpaw, who seems to land with a thud when his opponent is focused overly on defense. He’s technically sound and very mentally alert. He has the innate ability to sense when an opponent is going to unleash–deftly moving out of range. He dictates the starting points of most exchanges and subtly gets opponents in a reactive mode.
When looking at young undefeated fighters like Trout, it can be tricky to conduct a fair appraisal. On one hand, you want to see the blistering offense–the speed, the power. On the other hand, you would like to see other things–signs that he’s a well-rounded fighter. Those skills are the ones that are less-visible than speed and power, but the skills that usually get an unbeaten guy to the top.
So it’s hard to say. Trout doesn’t really dazzle when he fights. That might lead some to not be completely sold on the kid. But there’s an underlying professionalism there that could pay dividends as he moves up the ladder. He seems to have an elevated understanding of how to dictate a fight by using distance and range to his advantage, while not being available for his opponents when they start wanting to engage him.
I think Delvin is a little sharper with his punches. He’s a slashing hitter and while not a knockout puncher per se–a punishing offensive force who can really bust up a guy’s face. Being a little longer than Trout, he may be able to catch him as he advances. Not that Trout is going to be bum-rushing his way in constantly, but D-Rod could time Trout with some telling shots on occasion.
I think Trout is the more robust fighter. A natural 154-pounder, he’s been as high as 165 pounds. Rodriguez has been as low as 138. At 6-feet, he can carry the extra poundage and has a few inches of height on his opponent, but Trout is the naturally larger man. In an even fight going to the latter rounds, that could be telling.
But Rodriguez reminds me of an old-school contender–a throwback to the times where a guy could lose a couple fights and still spin out of it and remain a factor. He took some losses, but no one really saw some of those closely-scored fights–with Rafal Jackiewicz in Poland and Isaac Hlatshwayo in South Africa. But even Rodriguez had to be wondering what was going on when he dropped another close nod to Ashley Theophane in Oklahoma in 2010.
Rodriguez really surprised against Pawel Wolak–the previously highly-regarded contender. In the first fight as a heavy underdog, Delvin engaged Wolak in a slugfest that a lot of people thought was the fight of 2011. Rodriguez seemed at least a little unlucky to get a draw. But he made amends in the rematch–widely outscoring Wolak to cement his contendership at 154.
A man who was roundly written-off is now back on people’s radar. It’s hard to say a fighter is reborn based on going 1-0-1 against one man who happens to be heavily-flawed, but that just might be a fair assessment. At the very least, this version of Rodriguez is the best that has existed in the past several years.
And how do you compare a fighter like Rodriguez to Trout? D-Rod has been through the ringer. Trout, has relatively been allowed to coast. The win over David Lopez raised some eyebrows, but that still came against a 12-loss fighter. Let’s give credit where it’s due, however, as Trout beat a 7-year unbeaten darkhorse contender in his home-country of Mexico. His only other worthwhile name on his resume is Rigoberto Alvarez–the more genetically shortchanged of the fighting Alvarez brothers. Other than that, it’s slim-pickings for the 26-year old. Beating two Mexicans in Mexico does show a little mettle on his part, to be fair.
We might project some things on Trout. He has a version of a world title. He’s undefeated. We automatically jump to conclusions. He must be pretty good, right? Well, he is. But that title and record are just as much a byproduct of today’s watered-down state of boxing as it is a sign of his actual prowess.
This is a sport where you need to see a guy actually beat a world-class opponent before any definitive conclusions can be made. A bunko world title and a record compiled against no-names has gotten him to this point, but Rodriguez’ ring history is on another level. Not to imply that Trout couldn’t have gone 26-5-3 against the guys Rodriguez has faced, but he hasn’t done anything meaningful yet. I’m pretty sure against the guys Trout has faced–Rodriguez would probably be unbeaten too.
I hope there are no shenanigans in this fight. It sort of reminds me of Tavoris Cloud-Gabriel Campillo, where it might be hard for the unsung contender to get the decision against the unbeaten titlist. It’s in California, not Texas, but Rodriguez is still an east-coast fighter with a penchant for being in very close fights. Pretty much every fight he’s had with a good fighter other than the last Wolak fight has been excruciating to score. If that form holds up in this fight, Rodriguez will probably go home a loser.
Trout vs. Rodriguez Prediction
Rodriguez will do well in this fight, but as is his wont, he’ll be in another close fight. He will hit Trout more and be more active, with Trout landing the harder punches. The rounds will be close and in the end it will appear that Delvin had won about 7 of them. Then we’ll hear the scorecards. One judge will have it for Rodriguez, while the other two score against him with tallies in the neighborhood of 116-112.
Prediction: Austin Trout by split decision.
