Austin Trout had hoped to punch his way back into the title picture with a victory in his return Saturday night.

Instead, the 33-year-old southpaw might consider himself lucky to avoid the possible road to retirement, coming away with a controversial split decision draw against underdog Terrell Gausha in their 10-round super welterweight fight at the Beau Rivage Resort and Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi.

The scoring was as different as one could imagine. Judge Tractor Roberts scored it 99-91 for Gausha, John Dixon had it 96-94 for Trout and William Hunter scored it 95-95. The crowd booed loudly when the decision was announced.

Trout (31-5-1, 17 KOs) had hired trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr. in hopes of getting his mojo back after sitting on the sidelines for nearly a year. But Mayweather was not in his corner, remaining in Las Vegas, and the fighter nicknamed “No Doubt” left the crowd with plenty of doubt about this one.

Gausha (21-1-1, 10 KOs) a former U.S. Olympian who was fighting his third southpaw in a row, set the pace early, showing an edge in quickness and movement as Trout, a former champion, was forced to fight at a quicker pace than he might have wanted, coming off the long period of inactivity.

Trout found himself chasing Gausha around the much of the fight, as Gausha appeared to outbox and outquick the veteran from Las Cruces, New Mexico. Sure, Trout came in having lost three of his last four fights, but all three were to champions, twins Jermell and Jermall Charlo and Jarrett Hurd. And he felt like he didn’t get the benefit of the doubt in some of his losses.

Gausha, who was coming off a first-round knockout of Joey Hernandez last December, didn’t try to hide his disappointment.

“I felt like I won the fight, but it’s boxing,” the 31-year-old Cleveland native said. “Sometimes you don’t get the decision. I’ve been through a lot in this camp, but it is what it is. I caught a bad cold the last week, and my father passed away during this camp.”

Gausha seemed uninterested in a rematch. “I feel like I want to do bigger and better things,” he said, somberly. “I feel like I won the fight.”

Trout, meanwhile, was all about a do-over. Asked if he felt he lived up to what was advertised as a new Trout, he said, “Hell no. Let’s do it again.  That wasn’t right. Let’s get it again. Hey that’s after a year layoff. The timing is off. We need to do that again. I need an immediate rematch. Immediately.”

Nevertheless, retirement remains a possibility.

“We’ll get right back in (the ring) and if we find we can’t do what we need to do, then we’ll have to look at something else,” said Trout. “I have to prove that it’s not ring rust and I hope it’s not me,” Trout said. “In sparring I was sharp, but if I can’t perform in the ring, then it’s me.”

Chordale Booker remains perfect in hard-fought victory over Wale Omotoso

Chordale Booker remained undefeated, but the 28-year-old southpaw was unable to do what he had hoped to do, something no one else has been able to do: put tough Nigerian opponent Wale Omotoso on the canvas.

Still, Booker (15-0, 7 KOs), nicknamed “The Gift,” after a judge giving him three years probation instead of a long prison sentence, dominated the 34-year-old Omotoso throughout much of their super welterweight fight, winning all 10 rounds on each of the three judges’ scorecards.

Omotoso (27-4, 21 KOs) was fighting for the first time in 18 months, and never seemed to get on track against Booker.

In the ninth round, Booker seemingly had Omotoso on the ropes and was unloading everything he had on Omotoso. But the Nigerian showed why he has never been knocked down, fighting back.

After breaking Omotoso down, Booker broke down after the fight.

“This is everything to me,” a sobbing Booker said. “I’m so happy, man. I used to dream about this. It’s been 10 years. I started boxing when I was 19, and to be here is amazing.

“I don’t have a world title but I train like that every day. Like I wanted to get that title, like I have one. I have something to prove every time I get in the ring. Some people say, ‘Why are you crying, why are you so emotional?’ Well, every single fight means something to me.”

Efe Apochi stops Earl Newman to remain unbeaten

If heart alone won boxing matches, Earl Newman might have won his cruiserweight slugfest against undefeated Nigerian Efe Apochi. But it was Apochi who had the strength, stamina and punching power to overpower the former U.S. Olympian with a seventh-round knockout to end an all-action fight and remain undefeated at 8-0 with eight knockouts.

Apochi, 31, nicknamed “The Nigerian Pit Bull,” matched Newman’s heart with a relentless power attack and appeared to finish Newman at least twice earlier in the scheduled eight-round fight before finishing him off at 2:12 of the seventh with a right hand that finally dropped Newman, a Brooklyn fighter who fell to 10-2-1 (7 KOs).

Newman, a former U.S. Olympian, seemed to be out on his feet as early as the second round, but came back each time it appeared that he was wobbled and ready to fall, staying upright each time. Newman was wobbly in the third round as well, but finished strongly and actually won the fourth round. But Apochi seemed to get his second wind in the fifth and began teeing off on Newman, never giving Newman a chance to catch his breath.

“From the beginning of the fight, I’d been hurting the guy and I knew definitely I was going to stop him,” said Apochi. “I’m just listening to (trainer Ronnie Shields) and I hear these words ‘keep using the jab,’ and I’m blessed for having someone like Ronnie Shields in my corner. Believe me, this man is a genius. I saw (Newman) wobbling and I knew I was going to hook him, but he’s a hell of a fighter. He’s strong and I’ve never seen anyone who could take a punch like that.”

Ahmed Elbiali stops Marlos Simoes in two

Rising light heavyweight Ahmed Elbiali barely broke a sweat in stopping Brazilian Marlos Eduardo Simoes in the second round of a scheduled 10-rounder at 175 pounds. Simoes (13-2-2) went down, seemingly without much of a punch from Elbiali, and pointed to his jaw, saying it was broken. The fight was stopped 2:12 into the second round. Elbiali improved to 19-1 with 16 KOs. His only loss came against former light-heavyweight champion Jean Pascal in December 2017.

“It felt great but I wish it would’ve gone a little longer. But it’s OK, it’s another win in the books,” Elbiali said. “Some more experience and off to the next one.”

Article courtesy of Bob Velin & PBC