WBA light middleweight champion Austin Trout has claimed that Saul Alvarez had to push Golden Boy Promotions to make their unification bout.
It was announced earlier today that the two will go head to head in Texas on April 20.
Trout believes that Oscar de la Hoya and company were unwilling to make the fight, but the 27-year-old said that 'Canelo' must take credit for "putting his foot down".
"I was trying not to get too excited about the possibility of the fight," ESPN quotes Trout as saying. "Not Canelo personally, but his handlers were 100% against a fight with Austin Trout.
"Canelo would go out there and say this was the fight he wanted, but De la Hoya would shoot the fight down.
"Canelo put his foot down and said this was the fight he wanted. He said he was ready. God bless him. I'm here to show the world he's not. But he made the people who work for him make it happen, and boxing and the fans thank him."
Trout, unbeaten in 26 contests, defeated Miguel Cotto by a unanimous verdict in December.
Michael Penkman
