Canelo Alvarez and Jermell Charlo are set to square off in a super middleweight fight on September 30 in a battle between undisputed champions. 

Alvarez (59-2-2, 39 KOs) has been a professional fighter since 2005 and Charlo (35-1-1, 19 KOs) since 2007, but the pair of 33-year-olds only share one common opponent throughout their careers, and that’s Austin Trout. 

Alvarez dropped Trout and scored a unanimous decision win despite being outlanded 154 to 124 against the former super welterweight world titlist during a competitive fight in 2013. The high-profile win at the time next set up Alvarez with a fight – and his first pro loss – against Floyd Mayweather Jr. 

Charlo scored a majority decision against Trout in 2018 while twice dropping the fellow Texan in a 154-pound title defense. 

Trout recently opined on how he sees the fight between his former conquerors playing out. 

“Canelo is very explosive in his punches. He’s not going to punch the whole time. He’s very choosy and picks shots, but he places them very well,” Trout told K.O. Artist Sports.

“So if Charlo is going to be busy on his attack, he’s always keeping in mind that his shots are coming. So I think Charlo should be busy. Don’t worry about Canelo’s size. In my opinion, I think Charlo is the bigger man naturally.

“Even though [Charlo is] coming up in weight, I think that’s going to be a benefit for him because he’s been sucking down to get to 154. From what he’s coming down from, I don’t know, but I’m guessing close to 200, for sure.

“In my experience of both men, I walked Canelo down. I was on the back foot with Charlo. Now, it was a five-year difference, but nonetheless, that was the difference, in my opinion. Charlo was definitely the stronger man at 154. 

“Yeah, [Charlo] put me down twice. Canelo put me down once. I came back and won the round. They didn’t give me credit for it, but with Charlo, I had to outbox him. I couldn’t walk him down. I couldn’t try to out-brawl him. 

“With Canelo, they forced me to have to walk him down and brawl him, and I was able to, in a sense, to have some success with it. He’s a little bit bigger. If Jermell is going to stand there, it’s going to be great for Canelo.

“If Jermell is moving a little bit, pot-shotting, Canelo is going to have to try and break him down, hit the arms like he does, and work the body.

“The body is going to be key for both of them. Charlo can hurt Canelo to the body, and Canelo can hurt Charlo to the body. So, I think the body work is going to be key. Canelo is very good with the body work, but Charlo is too. So, we’ll see what happens. 

“I don’t think Canelo has the great advantage like a lot of people do, and I’m pulling for Charlo to have an upset based on his recent past performances. I do think Jermell can have success on the outside. 

“Then when [Charlo] stuns him and stings him, which I believe he can capitalize on it. I think Charlo can pull off the upset. Canelo is more consistent in and out of the ring. I don’t know Charlo’s lifestyle outside of the ring.

“I think Charlo can, especially when you think about the last few performances. Charlo has looked good in his last three fights. Canelo, unfortunately, has not … So one may have more wear and tear than the other. 

“I think Charlo is more in his prime. Canelo is still in his prime, but maybe in the tail end of his prime. That’s my idea and my opinion.” 

Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer, and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com, or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com.