By Mike Coppinger
BoxingScene.com has been advised that undefeated junior middleweight Austin Trout is likely to make his American television debut on November 11, as a deal to headline ShoBox against Japanese southpaw Yuki Nonaka is close.
"Pretty certain [Nonaka will be the opponent]," the 26-year-old Trout told BoxingScene.com. "I'm super excited that I finally got a fight and even better that it's going to be on television. This is a great opening for me."
The fight possibly will take place at the Chumash Casino in Santa Ynez, Calif., with Trout saying "they have a good Japanese fan base out there."
Trout (23-0, 13 KOs) expects a tough challenge from Nonaka (21-8-2, 7 KOs), but is determined to shine in his TV debut, hoping to make a big first impression.
"He's loose, he has good movement, he's left-handed, another southpaw I gotta deal with," said Trout of Las Cruces, New Mexico. "He's durable. He tries to box, he's pretty lanky, but I don't think he's fast enough to out-box me. And even if he does try to out-box me, I think I can bang him out if I decided to get off my toes. He's awkward and people think he's going to give me a problem because of his style, but I'm already working on it."
Mike Coppinger is a regular boxing freelancer for USA TODAY and Ring Magazine. He’s a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America, the Ring Ratings Advisory Panel and the Yahoo! Sports Boxing Panel. Follow him on Twitter: @MikeCoppinger.
