Former world champion Austin Trout sues WBO for alleged Ali Act violation

Austin Trout is getting ready for a battle in the ring, but he is also preparing for a fight in the courtroom. “No Doubt” filed a $40 million lawsuit against the WBO for allegedly removing him from their rankings without reason, a violation of the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act.

Trout was the No. 4 by the WBO in July 2015 when current WBA junior middleweight champion Demetrius Andrade was stripped due to inactivity. Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and Miguel Cotto, the two top rated contenders at the time, were unavailable because both were fighting for the then-vacant WBC middleweight title in 2015. Furthermore, Trout, 31, couldn’t fight No. 3 Michel Soro.

Trout is claiming he was removed from the rankings without justification and replaced by Liam Smith, who eventually stopped John Thompson to win the vacant world title. However, WBO President Paco Valcarcel, according to El Vocero via Boxing Scene, pinned the blame on Trout.

“When [Trout] signed to fight [Joey] Hernandez, he could not fight Liam Smith. Both Trout and Smith were removed [from the rankings], but Trout never requested that he be restored, which is his right to do so, and Smith [did request to be restored], and by our regulation we matched Smith against the next champion of the division – that was the champion of the NABO [John Thompson]. Trout was simply committed to fighting with Joey Hernandez when the opportunity arose.”

Trout will have another opportunity to win a world title when he takes on undefeated IBF junior middleweight champion Jarrett Hurd (20-0, 14 KO’s), who is making the first defense of his belt on October 14th at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Trout previously held the WBA junior middleweight title before losing on points to Canelo Alvarez in 2013.