By Jake Donovan

It remains to be seen whether or not Austin Trout becomes an attraction in his hometown, or any town he’s called home. The unbeaten southpaw has frequented venues in his home state of New Mexico and has defended his alphabet title in his birth city of El Paso, Texas.

For the most part, though. Trout has been forced to hit the road for meaningful fights during his seven-plus years in his career. Away games in Mexico and Panama were required in order to obtain the alphabet title currently in his possession, which he defends in a 154 lb. unification bout with Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez on April 20 in San Antonio. 

The lucrative showdown with Alvarez, which airs live on Showtime, isn’t a road trip on paper; after all, it’s Alvarez who is traveling from Guadalajara, Mexico to visit the city. The crowd drastically changes that perception, however. Upwards of 35,000 tickets have already been sold; the majority are coming  in support of the unbeaten 22-year old Mexican superstar who is rapidly developing as a major attraction at home and in the United States.

Trout (26-0, 14KO) has traveled down this path before, including last December’s big win over Miguel Cotto in New York City. The fight served as a breakout performance for Trout, who was asked most of the same questions prior to that night as is the case heading into next weekend. 

His answers still remain the same. A ring is a ring, and there are only two people in it who can do the fighting once the bell sounds. 

“All the crowd can do is cheer for him,” comments Trout, who makes the fifth defense of his title. “They can’t give him water and get into the ring with him every round. If they are going against me, then my goal is to silence them. I’m not going to give them a reason to cheer.”

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com, as well as a member of Transnational Boxing Ratings Board, Yahoo Boxing Ratings Panel and the Boxing Writers Association of America. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox