By Jake Donovan

Austin Trout saw his patience put to the test as the undefeated junior middleweight spent more than a year contending with the ugly side of the sport.

In the end it proved to pay off, as he put on a boxing clinic en route to a lopsided 12-round decision win Saturday evening over Rigoberto Alvarez in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico.

Scores were 119-108 across in their Televisa-televised main event. Both fighters weighed in at the junior middleweight limit of 154 lb.

The early rounds were a clear indication that Trout has the makings of a future star, while Alvarez will forever remain known as Saul Alvarez’ older (and far less talented) brother. The New Mexico native, a former amateur standout who has been inactive for 15 months to the day, worked beautifully behind his right jab, which was often enough on its own to keep Alvarez at bay and off balance.

As the rounds progressed, Trout implemented more weapons into his arsenal, including hooking off the jab and left-right combinations in rapid fire succession to the head and body. His straight left was also providing damage, finding a home on Alvarez’ all too inviting chin, while there was very little incoming in return.

So far ahead and confident was Trout that he opted to show off his defensive skills in the middle rounds, potshotting from the outside and bobbing and weaving out of harm’s way whenever Alvarez dared to inch closer. Alvarez tried his damnest to land something of the fight-altering variety but frequently caught nothing but air.

Trout buckled down and returned to basics in the seventh after getting caught with a stray left hand early in the round. The American returned to working behind the jab, also shooting straight left hand shots to Alvarez’ body. The crowd began to grow restless over their countryman’s inability to make things interesting, raining down boos as it became clear that Trout was well on his way to a rout.

The one-sided boxing lesson continued throughout the middle rounds, as Alvarez and the crowd grew increasingly frustrated. The Mexican southpaw enjoyed brief moments of success, but almost to where his left hand would land by accident as it so sorely lacked technique.

As the fight entered the championship rounds, the crowd voiced its collective displeasure in what was taking place. Trout remained determined to win them over, coming out for the 11th as if the fight was still on the table. Alvarez looked like he was stuck in cement as Trout darted in and out, firing and landing at will while barely taking a punch in return.

Alvarez was the one badly in need of a knockout going into the 12th round, but it was Trout who strongly closed the show. It wasn’t for a lack of trying on the Mexican’s part, just that the massive gulf in talent between the two proved far too difficult to overcome.

Trout could’ve easily coasted his way down the stretch, but instead respected the surroundings and put on a show in a high-octane climax that ended with the visiting fighter dropping to his knees in celebration, well before the scorecards were announced to make the victory official.

The belt he won may be of the paper variety, but the win – and more importantly his performance – renders Trout as a fresh face at the contender level in a junior middleweight division desperately in need of leadership. The win is his first since November 2009 – his last ring appearance – as he improves to 22-0 (13KO).

Alvarez snaps a three-fight win streak as he falls to 26-3 (19KO).

Possibly awaiting Trout in the near future is a showdown with another former amateur star, as undefeated junior middleweight contender Erislandy Lara made noise of wanting to face the winner sometime in the spring.

It remains to be seen if there remains a strong push for the fight.

There was some semblance of wishful thinking that Alvarez could somehow find a way to prove that he is for real. His familiar bloodlines create the perception that he’s an easier fight to market – the fact that he was granted a main event slot on the very network that is already in bed with younger brother Saul is perhaps the greatest example in support of that argument.

Still, it’s not as if Trout is a man without a country. While he lacks a true fanbase, his fan-friendly style and tremendous upside makes him an attractive offer to any interested network.

Jesus Silvestre earned a shot at an alphabet strawweight title in a big way, registering an early contender for Knockout of the Year, as Yader Escobar was knocked out cold in the fourth round of their televised swing bout.

Silvestre scored two knockdowns in the round, including a left hook that left no doubt. Escobar was out upon impact, crumbling to the canvas, leaving the referee no choice but to wave off the fight without a count.

The win is Silvestre’s fifth straight as he improves to 20-2 (15KO). The Mexican banger now fights the winner of next weekend’s strawweight fight between Sammy Gutierrez and Renan Trongco.

Escobar heads back to Nicaragua having suffered his second straight loss, as he falls to 23-4 (15KO).

Local super bantamweight prospect Horacio Garcia (13-0, 11KO) opened the show with a knockout win over Lizandro de los Santos (16-8, 6KO). It was an impressive display by Garcia, though he could stand to face stiffer competition – de los Santos has been stopped in each of his eight pro losses.

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of krikya360.com. Follow Jake on Twitter at twitter.com/JakeNDaBox or submit questions/comments to JakeNDaBox@gmail.com.