"I want to come back as soon as possible, like February or March. That would be ideal. But you know, I would like to come back May 4th. That would be a great date to be backÂ… We plan on being on top. You still haven't seen the best of Austin 'No Doubt' Trout, so look forward to a better Austin Trout because it's only going to get better. I'm hoping to get these pound-for-pound dudes out of the way. And then of course I want to get another belt; get all of the belts," stated jr. middleweight champion Austin Trout, who talked about his future plans after his impressive victory over Miguel Cotto. Check it out!
PC: Congratulations on the win over Miguel Cotto. How do you feel?
AT: Ah, thanks man. I feel great! It is a very satisfying feeling because we worked hard.
PC: We tweeted with one another right after the fight and you told me it really hadn't set in yet. Has it kind of set in now what you accomplished on December 1st?
AT: Yeah, it has. I'm really anxious to see what's gonna happen next. I'm glad we got this done, came out victorious, and now I'm ready to move on to the next thing and build off of it.
PC: You told me before the fight you would be too big and strong for Miguel. Was there anything about him that surprised you during the course of the fight?
AT: When I would give him pressure and he fought back, I thought he was more body strong than he was. He is still a warrior. He threw some good shots. That left hook is strong. I thank God for the glory.
PC: I spoke with Lanardo Tyner, who you did a great deal of sparring with. He said he knew you had the fight when Cotto wasn't applying the pressure that you guys anticipated him applying and that's the way you guys trained. When he started going backwards, was that your "I got him" moment?
AT: Right. Yeah, I felt he was boxing more because he didn't feel adequate banging with me. I felt like I kind of got him and I knew I was in his head definitely.
PC: There were moments where he seemed a little shaky; not much, but a little. At any point, did you feel you could stop him?
AT: Yeah, I was trying to be careful and not walk into anything, but there were times where I did try to jump in and take him out, but he had a good defense, so he couldn't have been that hurt.
PC: He has a high guard that covers his head and body well, but obviously from looking at his face, you were able to penetrate that, especially late in the fight. What were you able to do to create some openings?
AT: I think he was just tired. We were really trying to push the intensity, like you say we did in camp, and I think it just got to the point where we were just breaking him down. If I just had two more rounds, boyÂ…
PC: (Laughing) If it was a 15-round fight, you think you would have got the stoppage, huh?
AT: Yeah, exactly!
PC: You didn't look to gas at all at any point during the fight. Was it because you trained for pressure that didn't happen or was it because of the high altitude training you done?
AT: Yeah, exactly; it was a combination of both. We put in hard work, we had hard training partners, and it was just a very good camp.
PC: Being that you were expecting a lot of pressure for Miguel and he kind of changed that up on you, what was the game plan going in?
AT: The game plan was to just out-fight him. If we were on the outside, we wanted to out-fight him and if we were on the inside, out-fight him there as well. We didn't think twice about doing anything or fighting any kind of way against him.
PC: Your name is in the mix for a lot of fights and there are a lot of possible fights that can be made with you now. When would you like to come back and is there anyone in particular you would like to face?
AT: Man, I want to come back as soon as possible, like February or March. That would be ideal. But you know, I would like to come back May 4th. That would be a great date to be back!
PC: (Laughing) I think that would be the perfect date to be back.
AT: Exactly, man (laughing)!
PC: I really enjoyed the All Access shows that Showtime put on. How did it feel for the people to not only get to know you, but for you to be able to really put your city on the map?
AT: It was very important and that's what I was doing, so people can see a day in the life of Austin Trout. They got to know my family, my city, and my gym; things like that. I really wanted to represent a city that nobody represents.
PC: When you come off of a win like that, people always expect more. How do you top that performance and the magnitude of that win?
AT: We plan on being on top. You still haven't seen the best of Austin "No Doubt" Trout, so look forward to a better Austin Trout because it's only going to get better. I'm hoping to get these pound-for-pound dudes out of the way. And then of course I want to get another belt; get all of the belts. That's my plans and goals in the boxing game. I'm trying to go as far as I can go with this boxing thing. I'm trying to take it to the stars. I'm trying to go to Jupiter. I want to be remembered as a legend and one of the best of all time, not just my time. I got a lot of work to do.
PC: Not that this applies to you, because you definitely seem hungry and focused, but we have seen in the past where a guy comes off of his biggest win and underachieves after that. How do you stay on top and focused?
AT: My family is my motivation and I train with some real gorillas out here. My boy Siju Shabazz and his brother Shukree Shabazz,they kept me wanting that greatness. They train me hard and keep me really hungry.
PC: Congrats on the win again, best of luck next year, and I hope to see you on May 4th. Is there anything you want to say in closing?
AT: I just want to thank everybody that's been with me, whether they supported me or hated me. I thank them for it.
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]