Lara-Trout, Bika-Dirrell, Alexander-Porter all looking to steal the show in Brooklyn

By Peter Wells (@boxingsaddler): 


From L-R: Bika, Lara, Alexander, Malignaggi, Hopkins,
Judah, Porter, Trout, Dirrell

Piecing an undercard together that will give fans an enjoyable night, one where they do not switch sides while waiting for the main attraction, is never the easiest of jobs, but when you have as many fighters and as many match-ups at their disposal as Golden Boy Promotions have then it shouldn't be too great a challenge.

Devon Alexander vs Shawn Porter as a main event on November 30th was tough to sell on its own, while Sakio Bika vs Anthony Dirrell always had undercard feature bout written all over it, with the seasoned pro, not widely known outside of boxing circles attempting to fend off the unbeaten pretender, hoping to burst onto the world scene. Then Erislandy Lara vs Austin Trout, which in all fairness has all the ingredients to headline an event on its own, but adding it to an already packed card, which sees Paulie Malignaggi vs Zab Judah as the headline bout, only enlightened fans eyes further.

The contest that takes, in many fans eyes, the label as the fight of the night is that between Light Middleweight southpaws Erislandy Lara 18-1-2(12) and Austin Trout 26-1(14). A contest that will see the winner claim the vacant WBA 'regular' Light Middleweight title, which one would assume will result in the victor being upgraded to WBA 'Super' champion when the governing body gets the picture that Floyd Mayweather has no intention of defending his crown.



Erislandy Lara (left) vs Austin Trout (right)

Lara has understandably been fast-tracked to world level and at the age of 30 and with such great amateur experience behind him the Cuban that now resides out of Miami has already faced his fair share of world class foes. Carlos Molina was unlucky though not to take home victory in their 2011 match-up, the contest was scored a draw after 10 rounds. That was before Lara was at the wrong end of far worse judging when he lost via majority decision to Paul Williams, who is now paralysed from the hips down after a motorcycle accident but is still full of belief that he will walk again. Then while biding his time Lara demolished Ronald Hearns (TKO 1) before beating Freddy Hernandez (UD 10).

This form was cut short when an uneventful bout against Vanes Martirosyan (TD 9) ended with no one wanting to see a second instalment. Both fighters received their fair share of criticism following the drab affair but Lara moved on to survive two knockdowns in a gripping victory over Alfredo Angulo (TKO 10), when the Cuban broke the tough Angulo's orbital bone, when marginally ahead on the scorecards.

So while Lara has mixed with plenty of world title contenders he has yet to face one of the true high flyers in the 154lb division. That is set to change tomorrow night when he faces the still underrated Austin Trout. Very little was made of the New Mexico fighter's rise to the top 10 in the division having bested Rigoberto Alvarez (UD 12) for the vacant WBA 'regular' title in 2011, and then Delvin Rodriguez (UD 12). But he became an overnight star when dominating Miguel Cotto (UD 12), in a bout where he grew stronger as the fight developed, finishing the contest in complete control. That was followed by the first defeat of his career, albeit a controversial one. Canelo Alvarez was handed the contest with some very poor scoring, 118-109 and 116-111 where the standout scorecards, while the other card of 115-112 was understandable in a close contest. The reading out of the scorecards after 8 rounds didn't help with Trout hearing that he needed a knockout to win, when in truth the fight should still have been in the balance. A rematch between the two must happen, and next time not in Texas.


Trouts'(centre) respectful nature & likeability have
made him a fan favourite outside the ropes

In spite of that defeat his two latter contests demonstrated why he is rated so highly and why he is the favourite to come out victorious on Saturday night. The respectful and honest nature of Trout has led him to a fine backing from boxing fans across the world, and a large following known as 'Trout Nation'.

While Lara's reach advantage will prove a problem for Trout, he never takes a round off and is never one to stick behind single shots, often doubling and tripling the jab. That work rate can trouble Lara when the Cuban slows his own tempo down and while Lara will have success it may only be in spurts. Trout who can use his clever movement to good effect, snapping in uppercuts and straight right hands, is the pick to win this contest on the scorecards in a tactically intriguing affair.

Sakio Bika 32-5-1(21) will have to use all of his 13 years experience to fend off the young challenger Anthony Dirrell 26-0(22) and brother of Andre Dirrell. Bika will be making the first defence of his WBC Super Middleweight title he acquired with a win over equally raw Marco Antonio Periban (MD 12).

Dirrell takes a step up in class but possesses a slight height advantage and 3inch reach advantage. He has also shown a mean streak as he has moved through the rankings recording wins over Renan St Juste (TKO 4), Anthony Hanshaw (TKO 3).

As for Bika he has seen every style there is to see, and on most occasions nullifies his opponents qualities, the long list includes Andre Ward (L UD 12), Peter Manfredo Jr (W TKO 4), Lucian Bute (L UD 12) and Joe Calzaghe (L UD 12).



Sakio Bika (left) vs Anthony Dirrell (right)

It is unlikely that Dirrell will become the first man to stop Bika but it is also hard to see the 34 year old Cameroonian being quite as effective as he was in his hey-day. Still it is rather ironic that Bika won his first world title when he was in decline. That in itself shows that Bika cannot be taken lightly, especially in the middle rounds when he is likely to have his best spell after a fast start from Dirrell. The final third will prove tough for Bika but he will swing wildly to the very end in order to retain his title, but Dirrell's accuracy will be enough for him to take the victory on the scorecards.

Finally Devon Alexander 25-1(14) will make the first defence of the IBF Welterweight title he won last October. Several postponements for a potential match-up with Kell Brook resulted in Alexander finally lacing up against replacement Lee Purdy (W RTD 7), which did not see Alexander's title on the line after Purdy failed to make weight.

His first challenger will be a man that seems to have been waiting in the shadows for years, Shawn Porter 22-0-1(14). The 26 year old challenger has kept himself active while waiting for his opportunity recording wins over Alfonso Gomez (UD 10) and unbeaten Phil Lo Greco (UD 10), while a draw with Julio Diaz halted his progress in between those wins, before taking a comfortable win over Diaz (UD 10) last time out.



Devon Alexander (left) vs Shawn Porter (right)

Alexander is the heavy favourite having moved up from Light Welterweight where he suffered his only defeat to Timothy Bradley (TD 10), but at the age of 26 the St Louis fighter has already recorded several big wins, Junior Witter (RTD 8), Juan Urango (TKO 8), Andriy Kotelnik (UD 12), Lucas Matthysse (UD 10), Marcos Maidana (UD 10) and Randall Bailey (UD 12).

Porter of Akron, a city in Ohio well known for being the home of basketball superstar LeBron James, will be wary of becoming stuck behind the sharp jab of Alexander for long periods. Alexander's speed will prove a constant problem from the opening bell and it's likely to be a puzzle Porter will never fathom. Alexander can control the contest, stepping in with sharp, long uppercuts and hooks to take a shut-out points victory.