Austin Trout vs. Luis Grajeda: Fight Time, Date, Live Stream and TV Info

After a scare in what was supposed to be a tuneup fight against Daniel Dawson in his last outing, Austin "No Doubt" Trout (27-2, 14 KO) is back at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, California, on Thursday.

Trout will be facing Mexican contender Luis Grajeda (18-3-2, 14 KO) in a 10-round bout that could help to maneuver No Doubt back into title contention. This bout will be part of a rather large card that features a good number of Goossen Tutor-promoted fighters.

Antonio Tarver and Sergio Mora will also be in action in Temecula. Here's the viewing information:

When: Thursday, Dec. 11 at 10 p.m. ET

Where: Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, California

TV: ESPN 2

Live Stream: Watch ESPN

The Book on Trout

Elsa/Getty Images

Trout, a classic southpaw boxer, just turned 29 in September. He's not an old fighter by any means, but he's at the age where he needs to be closer to a title than he currently is if ascending up the ladder is in his plans.

He's coming off a less than impressive performance in his last outing against Dawson, a 37-year-old, power-punching journeyman. When the two met back in August, Dawson floored Trout twice in the third round.

Trout survived the onslaught from the Australian and even dropped Dawson in the eighth round. No Doubt would go on to win a unanimous decision. However, that wasn't the way he wanted to return to the ring after back-to-back losses to Canelo Alvarez and Erislandy Lara.

When he's right, Trout can befuddle his opponents with sneaky hand speed, physical strength on the inside and sharp punching accuracy. In what is his signature performance to date, Trout landed 45 percent of his power shots against Miguel Cotto in their Dec. 2012 bout, per CompuBox (h/t BoxingScene.com).

Elsa/Getty Images

Trout also used his rhythm-disrupting jab to control the pace of the bout. If he is to handle Grajeda, he'll need to establish his jab early. Trout indicated via his Twitter account that he is feeling strong.

We'll find out for sure on Thursday.

The Book on Grajeda

Like Dawson, Grajeda has some impressive punching power. The 5'11.5" 27-year-old has scored his last four wins by stoppage. One of them came at the expense of Josue Atilano Mendoza in Sept. 2013.

That first-round victory showed how devastating a puncher Grajeda can be, but it also showed how wild and unrefined he is. His punches weren't crisp, and a more skilled fighter would have countered and/or dodged most of those shots.

Since that win, Grajeda's record is just 2-2-1. In August, he was outboxed by 6'3" American contender Willie Nelson. Grajeda had no answer for the height disadvantage, and he spent most of the fight trying to find the range to land.

Against Trout, Grajeda must try to turn the fight into a slugfest to have a chance. It's pretty clear from taking a look at both men's style and boxing acumen that the longer the fight goes, the more it will favor Trout.

Prediction

After being surprised in his last fight, Trout will be on guard early and often against Grajeda. Trout will easily see and avoid Grajeda's wide power punches. Look for No Doubt's jab to punish Grajeda and set the tone for the fight.

Trout will also frustrate his opponent by tying him up on the inside to keep the bout from becoming a brawl.

This should be an easy unanimous-decision win for Trout.

Follow Brian Mazique on Twitter. I dig boxing and MMA.