According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, former Super Welterweight titlist Austin Trout will return against Daniel Dawson on August 22 that will serve as the season finale of ESPN’s Friday Night Fights.
No venue has been set but promoter Dan Goossen said it will take place in Southern California.
“It’s good to be back. I want to get back where I was,” Trout told ESPN.com on Tuesday from his training camp in Houston after finishing a workout. “I was at the top and that’s where I belong. I’ve been motivated to come back but I got even more motivated after watching the fight [between Canelo Alvarez and Erislandy Lara] on Saturday night.”
“It was more just a matter of me taking some time off. I needed it,” Trout said of the reason for his extended layoff. “I had one hell of a year in 2013. Canelo started it. It was a great fight, a great experience. It was a close fight, but it was my first loss and I took it hard.
“And then I got married almost right after that [May 26]. The marriage was the best part of my year, but my grandmother died right after the ceremony, and I was very close with my grandmother. It was very tough.”
Trout’s fight with Lara was grueling and he was sent to a hospital afterward for a CT scan and observation.
“I had to go to get checked out. It was a tough fight, but I was fine,” Trout said. “Lara had me frustrated. I couldn’t get my rhythm. I wanted to engage but he only engaged when he wanted to engage. He was tough to fight.”
“Hopefully, it will be the eliminator, but I won’t put too much worry on it,” Trout said. “My motivation is to show that I’m back and that I haven’t gone anywhere. I had a bad year and let’s leave it at that — a bad year.”
“There’s way too much at junior middleweight,” he said. “I don’t have to kill myself to make weight. I feel like I can clean up at 154 pounds. I’m going to work my way back. Besides, I can’t leave 154 without getting my rematches. I just want to work my way back and prove that I’m the best.”
The 36-year-old Dawson (40-3-1, 26 KOs), who lost a 2010 world title fight by 10th-round knockout to Sergey Dzinziruk, will be fighting for the first time in 11 months.
“To me this is an incredible opportunity to showcase my abilities at an elite level in my sport,” Dawson said. “I am aware of the challenge in Austin Trout and I believe my team and I are ready and focused on our winning game plan.
“I have great confidence entering this contest due to the fact that I was afforded a full training camp, compared to my 10-day preparation against Sergey Dzindziruk in Los Angeles in 2010. I have spent the last four years reinventing myself.”
