Austin Trout: Biggest Keys to 'No Doubt' Upsetting Saul Alvarez

Austin "No Doubt" Trout and Saul "Canelo" Alvarez will meet in one of the most highly anticipated fights of the year on Saturday. The two combatants are a combined 67-0-1 and they each hold a Light Middleweight Championship, so something ultimately has to give.

Even though Trout is five years older than Alvarez, Canelo technically has the experience edge as he has competed in 16 more fights. Both of them turned professional in 2005 within a month of each other, however, so this is truly a battle between two of the sport's rising stars.

Alvarez is considered to be the top prospect in boxing right now, so he is favored to win by most, but here are three things that Trout must do in order to pull off the upset.

Work the Left Hand

Trout is a natural southpaw, and that gives him advantage in most of his fights. There are more southpaws now than there used to be as many boxers attempt to deceive their opponents, but it's still somewhat of a rarity that could give Alvarez some problems. At the same time, Alvarez has been in so many fights that he has probably faced his fair share of southpaws in the past.

In terms of quality, however, he has never run into a southpaw like Trout. In his last fight back in December, Trout shocked the world by dismantling Miguel Cotto. Although Cotto isn't the same fighter now as he was a few years ago, he is still one of the better pound-for-pound fighters in the world, and he managed to push Floyd Mayweather to the brink.

Trout decimated him en route to a unanimous-decision victory, and it was largely due to his stiff left hand. Whether it was due to deception or pure power, Trout rocked Cotto with his left on numerous occasions and left him searching for answers. Alvarez may be expecting the same on Saturday, but Trout needs to stick with what works.

Use Strength to His Advantage

In terms of size, Trout and Alvarez are essentially equal, Trout perhaps standing a fraction of an inch taller. When it comes to strength, however, Trout seems to have the advantage. Both men are known for their quickness, but Trout has proven capable of bullying his opponents with his physicality, whereas Alvarez is more of a finesse guy. That may sound strange since Alvarez has 30 knockouts in his 41 wins, but that is due to punching power more than body strength.

There is a definite difference and it should play into Trout's hands. Alvarez likes to get separation in order to create combinations and floor his opponents, but Trout is the type of guy who is comfortable working at close quarters. Trout was very effective when it came to cornering Cotto in their fight and using his strength to keep him boxed in.

It won't be easy to manipulate Alvarez in that manner, but Trout has the physical ability to make it happen. If Trout tries to make the fight a proverbial track meet, then Alvarez probably has the advantage. If he can bog Canelo down a bit and make him scratch and claw, though, Alvarez will have trouble finding a rhythm.

Apply Lessons Learned from Win Over Miguel Cotto

Alvarez has competed in a lot of fights and he has some impressive wins on his resume, but none of them measure up to Trout's victory over Cotto. Alvarez supporters will probably point to his win over Shane Mosley, but Mosley was well past his prime at that point and Canelo couldn't put him down. Trout's victory over Cotto caught a lot of people off guard and proved that he is the real deal.

Trout is no longer flying under the radar as his high-profile tilt with Alvarez suggests, but there are a lot of things that he can take from his win over Cotto and apply to his fight against Alvarez. Trout was the aggressor when he defeated Cotto, and he should try to do the same thing against Alvarez. Canelo probably wants to push the pace and position himself for a knockout, but Trout needs to make sure that doesn't happen.

In addition to that, Trout needs to utilize his left hand effectively and cut down Alvarez's space in the ring. Trout did all of those things well against Cotto and it led to a decisive victory. It's unlikely that Trout will win so easily against Alvarez, but he definitely stands a chance to come out on top if he sticks to his game plan throughout.

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