Highlights
—Austin Trout came out of the gate patiently against Joey Hernandez. But in the third round, he began picking his opponent apart, scoring frequent body shots with both his jab and heavy left hooks.
—Early in the fourth, Hernandez lifted up Trout and slammed him to the canvas. Referee Jack Reiss immediately called timeout, sternly scolded Hernandez and ordered the judges to deduct a point. Having picked himself up, Trout flashed a grin and, when the fight resumed, immediately went on the attack.
—By the fifth round, Trout began fighting with extreme confidence, not only connecting regularly to the body and head, but slipping every punch Hernandez threw. As the sixth round came to a close, Trout’s body assault finally paid off with a three-punch sequence—a right hook, followed by two left hooks—that sent Hernandez crumbling to the canvas and failing to beat the 10 count at the end of the round.
Ever since dropping consecutive fights in 2013, Austin Trout has been on a mission to re-establish himself as one of the top contenders in the highly competitive 154-pound division.
Consider that mission accomplished.
After a bit of a slow start, Trout (30-2, 17 KOs) put on a dominating performance at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, ultimately using a vicious three-punch assault to the body to score a sixth-round knockout of Joey Hernandez.
It was Trout’s fourth consecutive victory and third straight knockout, and it came with a bizarre twist: Early in the fourth round, Hernandez—seemingly irritated by what he thought was a low blow to his hip—body-slammed Trout to the canvas.
After a brief delay in which referee Jack Reiss scolded Hernandez (24-4-1, 14 KOs) and ordered a one-point deduction, Trout picked up the pace and began breaking down his opponent.
Trout attacked the body, a smart strategy considering the 30-year-old Hernandez struggled to make the 156-pound catchweight limit.
In the fifth, Trout—who won every round on all three judges’ scorecards—started putting on a clinic, not only connecting at will but also slipping virtually every punch Hernandez threw.
Then as the sixth round came to a close, the 29-year-old New Mexico native used one final left hook to the ribs that sent Hernandez crumbling to the canvas.
When Hernandez failed to beat the 10 count, Trout had his 30th career victory—one that should put the former 154-pound champ right back in the title mix.
Austin Trout used a barrage of body shots to wear down Joey Hernandez before finishing him off at the end of the sixth round. (Suzanne Teresa/Premier Boxing Champions)
