"I'm real excited about the matchup. I think he has the perfect style that's gonna compliment my style... Miguel is going to see that he is not going to be the bigger man or the stronger man like a lot of people think he is. I'm not saying he isn't strong, because I do believe he is a strong fighter and he has a good punch, but I have been at this weight class since the amateurs pretty much; since I was about 16 or 17. This is the weight class that I'm comfortable at and I carry myself well at...my plan is to keep the Garden quiet," stated WBA regular jr. middleweight champion Austin Trout, who talked about his December 1 showdown with former champion Miguel Cotto. Check out what else he had to say!

PC: Cotto/Trout on December 1st at MSG. You have to be very excited for this fight? 

AT: Yeah, I'm real excited about the matchup. I think he has the perfect style that's gonna compliment my style.

PC: A lot of people will look at your last fight against Delvin Rodriguez and think you don't stand a chance in this fight. That was a tough fight to look good in. Cotto is a different animal, and stylistically, like you said, this could be a fun one.

AT: I agree. The Rodriguez fight was a fight that was like a win today and look good tomorrow type of thing. I had an off night, but I still dominated a fighter that had never really been dominated before; even in his losses. I'm not extremely excited about the performance, but I got the win, so I can't complain.

PC: Cotto had a very resilient performance in his last fight against Floyd Mayweather. Although you are a completely different fighter than Floyd, will you take something from that fight because it was his most recent outing?

AT: We're looking at all of the fights. We want to look at fights where Miguel was at his best, and Floyd was one of them. We are even looking back in the days when he was at 140, when he was taking guys out. That's when I felt like he was really in his prime. I still feel like he is still somewhat in his prime, not killing himself to make 47 anymore, but at 140, he was very impressive.

PC: There were rumors that he may be fighting Manny Pacquiao at a catchweight and so forth and so on. What was the process like for you to wait on the call that it would be you?

AT: Actually, I didn't know that Al [Haymon] and my promoter Greg Cohen was even working on the fight with Cotto. I was bugging them because I started camp trying to get a fight this month in September. I was bugging them bad like, "I want to get a fight in September. Who are we gonna fight? I'll get on any card. What you got Al? What you got Greg?" Al kept saying, "I got something in the works. It's gonna be worth the wait; just relax." I thought it was going to be something just to shut me up because I know I was being annoying trying to get a fight, and out of nowhere, Greg sends me a text that says, "How does Cotto/Trout sound?" Of course I didn't believe it at first, but I was like, "Yeah, it sounds great!" Once they assured me that it was really happening, I was excited. My mind just went off with all of the possibilities and different outcomes just went through my head.

PC: When I look at your age, the amount of fights you have had, and of course where you are in your career, it seems like the perfect time for a fight against a fighter like Miguel Cotto, who could really put you over the top with a spectacular performance. Is that your mindset entering this fight, that the timing is perfect?

AT: I definitely do feel this is the perfect time. I always say it is God's plan and not mine, because if it was on my plan, this fight would have happened about 3 or 4 years ago, but God felt I wasn't ready. So I had to have patience and let God's plan play itself out. I understand that it is great timing right now because looking back, I wasn't ready, but I feel like I'm ready now.

PC: Cotto has had some issues with southpaws, when you look at his fights with Corley, Zab, who gave him some trouble too, and of course Pacquiao. Do you feel that is a huge advantage for you going into the fight?

AT: I'm not going to rely too much on one thing that I think may happen or may work because that's what I felt like I did in the Rodriguez fight. He has had some success with some southpaws as well, like Malignaggi, Zab Judah, and also Quintana, who I feel is a good southpaw. We are just gonna be versatile.

PC: He seems pretty comfortable at 154 pounds. You have been pretty much a career 154-pounder, so unlike the Mayweather fight, he won't be the bigger man and I'm sure you feel he won't be the stronger man either.

AT: I think Miguel is going to see that he is not going to be the bigger man or the stronger man like a lot of people think he is. I'm not saying he isn't strong, because I do believe he is a strong fighter and he has a good punch, but I have been at this weight class since the amateurs pretty much; since I was about 16 or 17. This is the weight class that I'm comfortable at and I carry myself well at. I don't kill myself to make weight, but at the same time, I do have to struggle a bit.

PC: It's crazy because I remember at one point, a lot of guys were bringing you in to spar with them to prepare for Manny Pacquiao to give them that look. Ironically, Cotto is one of the guys who didn't seek your service. I know a lot of fighters don't like to spar with someone they will eventually face, so it kind of worked out for you.

AT: Yeah, you right. I felt like I did well in all of those camps and gave them the look that they wanted. And even going over the Pacquiao tape and seeing some of the things he did that worked. I understand that he is a different fighter with Diaz in his corner. His defense has gotten better since the Pacquiao fight.

PC: You are going into the blades of the helicopter so to speak. New York on December 1st, it's gonna be heavily populated with Puerto Rican fans. How have you mentally prepared yourself to deal with that?

AT: Yeah, I have been blessed to go through similar experiences. My path has taken me down to Mexico fighting a Mexican fighter. That's where I won my belt, so a hostile crowd is nothing new for me. I'm not saying that the Mexicans are rowdier than the Puerto Ricans or vice versa, but I know it's going to be a different type of rowdiness. But I can't focus on that. I'm beyond that and my plan is to keep the Garden quiet.

PC: You started preparing for a fight hoping you would fight this month. Did you cut back and will start up a little later, or did you keep going?

AT: We kinda fell back just a little bit. You never want to peak early. I need to be 100. I'm so excited that one of my problems might be over-training. I'm hoping I don't go too hard because I don't want to leave it all in the gym, so I'm going to listen to my coach and keep in mind that this is my body and if they say chill out, I'm going to chill out. That's how injuries happen and I will be damned if I get an injury for this fight (laughing).

PC: Yeah man, that's not an option (laughing).  

AT: (Laughing)

PC: Cotto used to switch to southpaw a lot more than we've seen him do recently. You said his defense is improved. What other changes have you seen in Cotto?

AT: Since Diaz been on board, I see him moving a lot more and his ring generalship has gotten a lot better. I don't want to say he used to be one-dimensional, but he plodded forward a lot more. That's why when we're looking at old tapes and looking at him now, we just gotta piece it all together and see his different tactics. But I'm very confident in my abilities and I want to thank him for this opportunity, but I feel like he messed up.

PC: I was actually surprised to see him pick you as opposed to a Cornelius Bundrage, who style-wise is a little better suited for Cotto.

AT: You know, I have never known Cotto to take an easy fight or easier route. He fought the best and I'm a fan and it's gonna be weird because I want an autograph. I guess I'm going to have to get that before the fight.

PC: What would a win on December 1st over Miguel Cotto mean to you?

AT: The sky is the limit. Hopefully after that, I can get another belt in the division because my plan is to become the undisputed champion. I am definitely eyeing Canelo after that. That would be my first priority; him and K-9.

PC: Best of luck to you on December 1st . I'm sure I will be speaking to you again leading up to that fight. Is there anything else you wanna say?

AT: Everyone can follow me on Twitter @NoDoubtTrout and I appreciate all of the love and support and everyone can tune in and watch me defend my title because I will walk away with it still intact.