Trout, Di Pace get good sparring

On Monday in El Paso, Las Cruces junior middleweight Austin Trout and Las Cruces bantamweight Sammy Di Pace got in some good sparring.

Trout sparred with former lightweight champion Cesar Bezan for five rounds. The 32-year-old Bezan (46-9-1) has been campaigning at 140 pounds of late. Bezan is tall at 5-foot-11 and that will help Trout out when he fights taller opponents. Plus Bezan is a crafty fighter and he has experience in big time fights. Trout fared well against Bezan, landing effective body blows and showing good lateral movement.

Di Pace got in five hard and action-packed rounds against 122-pound contender Antonio Escalante. Di Pace is making his pro debut on Dec. 21 in Las Cruces after a very successful amateur career. Escalante is 16-2 with 10 knockouts and is one of the best young fighters in his weight class.

Both Di Pace and Escalante are good offensive fighters. Both can throw hard body punches and both have decent power in both hands.

For Di Pace and Escalante, the sparring is very effective because there aren't that many fighters in their weight classes in this area of the country that can do the things they do. Both can learn from each other, particularly Di Pace from Escalante. Escalante is an 18-fight professional who has fought some very good fighters and who has a bright future. If Di Pace can use what he has learned from Escalante, he will be that more effective.

Escalante is scheduled to fight a 10-rounder in Juarez on Dec. 21, then hopes for a fight in January in Tucson.

— Felix