Saul “Canelo” Alvarez became a two-time undisputed super-middleweight champion on Saturday, outpointing William Scull to keep alive a super-fight with Terence Crawford.
Canelo, making his debut in Saudi Arabia, earned scores of 115-113, 116-112 and 119-109, though the former card flattered Scull, who was reluctant to engage throughout and focused on being elusive. Mexican icon Canelo, meanwhile, relied on intermittent power punches to the body for the most part, while stalking the 32-year-old Cuban around the ring.
With his victory, Canelo took the IBF belt from Scull, adding it to his WBC, WBA and WBO titles. The 34-year-old also handed Scull his first professional loss.
Canelo’s win kept him on track for a planned clash with fellow pound-for-pound star Crawford in September. It was already expected that the bout would take place in Las Vegas that month, and Saudi adviser Turki Alalshikh said on Saturday that 12 September is the specific date being targeted, at Allegiant Stadium.
Re-live the action below.
Canelo vs Scull LIVE
- Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez outpoints William Scull to become two-time undisputed champ at super-middleweight
- Scull reluctant to engage throughout, but Canelo does enough to win unanimous decision on Saudi debut
- Victory keeps Mexican icon on track for super-fight with American star Terence Crawford in September
- Saudi adviser reveals 12 September and Allegiant Stadium as specific date and venue for Vegas clash
Canelo vs Scull LIVE: Alvarez reacts to victory and Crawford bout
05:45 , Alex Pattle“I feel great, Crawford is one of the best out there. I like to share the ring with this kind of fighter.
“Everybody is asking for the fight, my niño Turki Alalshikh wants it.”
Canelo vs Scull LIVE: Alvarez reacts to victory and Crawford bout
05:35 , Alex Pattle“That’s why I don’t like to fight those kinds of guys, they come just to survive, just to do the 12 rounds,” Canelo says.
“I hope September [brings] another kind of fight.
“With [tonight’s] kind of fight, anything can be said [by the judges]. For me, it’s a boring fight. A fighter doesn’t try to win, they just try to survive.
“They did even more [running] than I thought, but it’s okay, we win, two-time undisputed champion.”
Canelo vs Scull LIVE: Crawford enters ring to face off with Canelo
05:30Crawford is in the ring, and Saudi adviser Turki Alalshikh says the plan is for 12 September at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Canelo vs Scull LIVE: Alvarez becomes two-time undisputed
05:22 , Alex PattleSaul “Canelo” Alvarez def. William Scull via unanimous decision (115-113, 116-112, 119-109)
The right result, but three very different scores.
The 119-109 is arguably the most accurate, followed by the 116-112. The 115-113... yeah, no...
Canelo vs Scull LIVE: Round 12
05:17We’ll go to the scorecards. Very little to report on from the final round.
Canelo vs Scull LIVE: Round 11
05:13 , Alex PattlePenultimate round. Eventually Canelo is warned for hitting Scull from behind, but that was largely a result of the Cuban turning away from Canelo. Still, Canelo can’t allow himself to get overly frustrated. Here and there, Scull complains about low blows that are definitely not low blows.
Canelo vs Scull LIVE: Round 10
05:10Canelo tries to get after Scull, but he’s still struggling to land much more than the occasional single body shot. Yes, that’s been part of his gameplan for a few years now anyway; it’s just that even when he *does* try to crank things up, Scull is literally skipping away.
Canelo vs Scull LIVE: Round nine
05:05 , Alex PattleCanelo is warned for throwing a hook too low.
It looked borderline, but Scull turned to the ref, who was quick to lecture Canelo.
Back under way, and Scull continues to be hard to hit, but he’s not landing anything of note either.
He dances about, taunting Canelo.
Canelo vs Scull LIVE: Round eight
05:01 , Alex PattleScull proving very evasive still, skipping left to right and right to left along the ropes. He bites hard on most of what Canelo does, looking fairly anxious.
Canelo vs Scull LIVE: Round seven
04:57Canelo is investing heavily in the body now. Scull tries to come back with a combination to the head, but all we get is a clinch.
Lotsssss of movement from Scull against the ropes. Canelo trying not to get frustrated.
Canelo vs Scull LIVE: Round six
04:53Decent shot by Scull! Lovely entry from him, setting up a kind of shovel uppercut.
Canelo wants to get back some respect, so corners the IBF champ and slams a cross into the mid-section.
A few more of those as the round progresses. Scull is happy to stay mobile and light on his feet where possible.
Canelo vs Scull LIVE: Round five
04:49 , Alex PattleTons of feints from Scull, almost none of which draw any reaction from an ice-cold Canelo.
Good head movement from Scull to avoid a long lead uppercut.
Canelo traps Scull against the ropes and crashes a right hook into the chest of the Cuban.
Canelo seems to be increasing the power round by round, almost.
Canelo vs Scull LIVE: Round four
04:46 , Alex PattleScull tries to get more active now, in terms of output. He’s been plenty active in terms of footwork, to the exent that he’ll surely tire down the stretch – if he makes it thay far.
Cross and left hook to the body by Canelo. Scull retorts with one of his better moments so far, before flexing to punctuate the right hand.
Canelo vs Scull LIVE: Round three
04:41We’re seeing what we’ve become used to seeing from Canelo in recent years: he’s stalking forward and throwing intermittent, big shots. There’s the occasional follow-up punch, but he likes the idea of landing one huge shot, you feel. The combination punching of old isn’t there as much nowadays.
Canelo vs Scull LIVE: Round two
04:37 , Alex PattleImmediately, Canelo takes the centre of the ring again. He’s blocking the majority of Scull’s jabs.
Right hook to the body by Canelo, then a left hook to the head. Lovely stuff.
Now another hook upstairs, which has Scull slightly off balance and biting down on his gumshield.
Scull with a one-two, the cross landing on the chest of the Mexican. Canelo with a right hook to the chest.
Canelo ends the round with a pair of hooks, burrowed into the midriff of the Cuban.
Canelo vs Scull LIVE: Round one
04:33 , Alex PattleBoth men stand orthodox. Canelo has a habit of using the first round to make reads for the most part, not throwing too much.
He edges forward, as Scull flicks out a few intermittent jabs.
Canelo with an overhand right, but he hasn’t put too much into that.
Now a winging right hook from Canelo, which grazes the chest of Scull.
Canelo continues to cut down the ring. Scull isn’t throwing too much, but he is showing lots of feints.
Canelo vs Scull LIVE: Main-event ring walks
04:23 , Alex PattleThere are some travelllng Mexicans, to be fair! They make their voices heard during their national anthem.
Canelo, by the way, has a much bigger entourage than Scull, who has four people with him. Canelo must have three times that, at least.
Canelo vs Scull LIVE: Main-event ring walks
04:16 , Alex PattleCuba’s Scull is the younger man at 32, he is the taller boxer by a few inches, has a slightly longer reach, and is unbeaten...
Yet Canelo, 34, is a heavy favourite tonight. Indeed, Scull has never fought someone of the Mexican’s calibre before.
Canelo vs Scull LIVE: Main-event ring walks
04:07 , Alex PattleRight, then! One fight left tonight.
Canelo eyes two-time undisputed glory at super-middleweight, putting his unified titles on the line against IBF champion William Scull.
Canelo is also aiming to preserve a super-fight with Terence Crawford later this year, so he can’t afford a slip-up tonight...
Canelo vs Scull LIVE: Badou Jack beats Norair Mikaeljan
04:04 , Alex PattleBadou Jack def. Norair Mikaeljan via majority decision (114-114, 115-113, 115-113)
Jack gets it done, barely! And STILL WBC cruiserweight champion.
Canelo vs Scull LIVE: Badou Jack vs Norair Mikaeljan
04:00 , Alex PattleRound 12
Final frame! One-two, left hook by MIkaeljan. Jack chases him around the ring, eyeing some revenge.
A pair of solid body uppercuts from Jack. Lots of wrestling as we approach and enter the final minute.
Oh! A clever combination from Mikaeljan ends in a power jab, which has Jack hunched over!
Again, though, he recovers well, just in time for the final bell,
Canelo vs Scull LIVE: Badou Jack vs Norair Mikaeljan
03:55 , Alex PattleRound 11
We seem destined to go the distance. Some entertaining rounds in there, though, ebbing and flowing back and forth.
Canelo vs Scull LIVE: Badou Jack vs Norair Mikaeljan
03:48 , Alex PattleRound nine
Jack with some good body work at close range, exiting the clunch, before Mikaeljan slings in a great cross upstairs.
Oh! A cross puts Jack off balance! But the 41-year-old recovers well.
Canelo vs Scull LIVE: Badou Jack vs Norair Mikaeljan
03:44 , Alex PattleRound eight
Mikaeljan throws about six jabs in a row. He finds a cross shortly thereafter, then a hard jab.
Decent left hook by the challenger now, and another.
Oh! Jack sets up a wonderful cross with a textbook jab, though.
Canelo vs Scull LIVE: Badou Jack vs Norair Mikaeljan
03:35Round six
Jack with another right hand, then a left hook! Great moment for the champion, as Mikaeljan retreats to the ropes and leans on them, seeking respite.
Jack steps in with a well-timed cross, and Mikaeljan winces!
Canelo vs Scull LIVE: Badou Jack vs Norair Mikaeljan
03:32 , Alex PattleRound five
Better from Jack! A clean cross for him, late in the round, is the best punch of the fifth frame.
Canelo vs Scull LIVE: Badou Jack vs Norair Mikaeljan
03:20Round two
Mikaeljan is warned for hitting Jack on the back of the head in a close-range exchange.
Nice counter cross by Mikaeljan later in the round, and a grazing left hook.
Canelo vs Scull LIVE: Badou Jack vs Norair Mikaeljan
03:16 , Alex PattleRound one
Both men stand orthodox. Mikaeljan presses forward and gets his jab going. He’s facing Jack on short notice here.
Jack with a fine jab of his own. Mikaeljan with lots of straight shots – jabs and crosses – upstairs and down. He’s not loading up too much yet.
Canelo vs Scull LIVE: Badou Jack vs Norair Mikaeljan
03:00We have a cruiserweight title match next, as Badou Jack defends the WBC belt against Norair Mikaeljan!
Canelo vs Scull LIVE: Bruno Surace vs Jaime Munguia 2
02:51Jaime Munguia def. Bruno Surace via unanimous decision (116-112, 117-111, 117-111)
Munguia sets things right! He goes 1-1 with Surace after that shock KO loss in December.
Canelo vs Scull LIVE: Bruno Surace vs Jaime Munguia 2
02:43 , Alex PattleRound 11
Strong cross by Surace. Sneaky rear uppercut off a short jab.
Surace goes for a few crosses, intermittently, but Munguia is crouching and making the Frenchman overshoot. There’s an uppercut available for Surace in those situations.
Round 12
The pattern of the fight continues, with Munguia on the front foot and Surace occasionally producing decent counters – but not often or effectively enough.
Canelo vs Scull LIVE: Bruno Surace vs Jaime Munguia 2
02:35 , Alex PattleRound nine
Surace with a fine body shot of his own. He’s having to do so much work on the back foot, though, constantly moving backwards and sideways.
Munguia lands yet another left hook to the body. Great head movement to lean back and avoid an overhand right – Canelo-esque.
Now two body hooks and one up top by Munguia. Clever work.
Canelo vs Scull LIVE: Bruno Surace vs Jaime Munguia 2
02:31 , Alex PattleRound seven
Munguia is the more active fighter in this frame. Surace with enough output to keep himself in the round, but this bout mightttt be trending away from him.
Munguia gets the thin crowd going with a flurry in the corner, right before the bell.
Round eight
Munguia stays on the front foot. Long left hook to the body of Surace.
Another hook to Surace’s body, and these might be taking a toll on the Frenchman.
Canelo vs Scull LIVE: Bruno Surace vs Jaime Munguia 2
02:20 , Alex PattleRound four
A fairly even round, with Surace countering well late in the frame.
Round five
Munguia corners Surace, who looks to keep a high guard and maintain lateral movement.
Good overhand right from Munguia, with Surace backed up to the ropes!
Munguia blocks a left hook now. He unfurls two of his own, one off each wing, both to the body.
Canelo vs Scull LIVE: Bruno Surace vs Jaime Munguia 2
02:07Round two
Surace sets up a cross to the body nicely. Munguia comes back with an overhand, which is partially blocked, and a left hook to the body.
Decent right hook to the head of Munguia. Surace just misses with a cross off a double-jab.
Surace clips Munguia with a rear uppercut. Munguia loads up big again with an overhand but misses.
He likes going to the body with that left hook after the overhand right.
Canelo vs Scull LIVE: Bruno Surace vs Jaime Munguia 2
02:03 , Alex PattleRound one
Both men stand orthodox. Surace with a big overhand effort early on. Munguia with one of his own, and Surace tries again. None of those shots have landed clean so far.
Canelo vs Scull LIVE: Bruno Surace vs Jaime Munguia 2
01:51 , Alex PattleMunguia actually dropped Surace in their first fight, before getting knocked out himself.
We’ve just seen footage of Canelo in Munguia’s dressing room, hyping up his compatriot and former opponent! Lovely stuff. The pair now share a coach in Eddy Reynoso.
Canelo vs Scull LIVE: Bruno Surace vs Jaime Munguia 2
01:49 , Alex PattleWe’re expecting the next bout to be the highly-anticipated rematch between Bruno Surace and Jaime Munguia.
Mexico’s Munguia was outpointed by compatriot Canelo last May but bounced back in September, only to suffer a shock KO by Surace in December.
Now Munguia gets the chance to right that wrong against the Frenchman.
Munguia has actually done some sparring with Canelo ahead of this one.
Canelo vs Scull LIVE: Martin Bakole and Efe Ajagba fight to majority draw
01:42Martin Bakole and Efe Ajagba fight to majority draw (94-96, 95-95, 95-95)
Ajagba’s activity cancelled out by the power of Bakole’s output, perhaps.
Canelo vs Scull LIVE: Martin Bakole vs Efe Ajagba
01:37 , Alex PattleRound 10
“Bang them in, f***ing bang them in, two hands. Give me the best round you’ve ever had,” says Bakole’s coach.
Halfway through the round, Bakole starts to find the mark, but Ajagba gets on his bike – and Bakole is unable to catch him for a while.
Jab lands for Bakole now, though. Forty seconds left.
Ajagba leans back to evade a wide left hook. He makes it to the bell! To the scorecards we’ll go.
Canelo vs Scull LIVE: Martin Bakole vs Efe Ajagba
01:29 , Alex PattleRound eight
The crowd cheers, I believe for the arrival of Saudi adviser Turki Alalshikh, but Bakole thinks those in attendance are cheering on the boxers.
Bakole keeps talking to Ajagba, trying to get him to engage more.
Ajagba with a nice counter cross, but Bakole lands – I believe – a left hook at the same time! It puts Ajagba off balance, and he stumbles away.
Now Bakole pours on pressure, as Ajagba covers up against the ropes! Can Ajagba survive this onslaught with 40 seconds left in the round?
Ajagba manages to stay composed, unleashing a pair of hooks to the body, but Bakole squeezes in an overhand before the bell!
Canelo vs Scull LIVE: Martin Bakole vs Efe Ajagba
01:25 , Alex PattleRound seven
Bakole is intent on applying pressure from the very start of the round.
Ajagba is able to halt him somewhat with jabs, though, before adding crosses as the round progresses.
Still Bakole tries to close the distance, forcing Ajagba to skip around the ring.
Nice check left hook by Ajagba, though. Now a counter right cross! Good work.
Canelo vs Scull LIVE: Martin Bakole vs Efe Ajagba
01:13 , Alex PattleRound four
Bakole marches forward with his head down and hands up. Ajagba stays active, but it seems as though Bakole might be trying to draw these shots out of Ajagba to tire him out.
Nice uppercut from Ajagba, but Bakole’s pressure starts to take its toll, and he begins to land punishing shots!
Ajagba gets a second wind in this round and lands his fair share of punches, preferring straight output while Bakole curls some hooks around his opponent’s guard.
Right hook and left uppercut from Bakole. He lands some thudding punches with Ajagba cornered late in the round. Credit to Ajabga, though; again he comes back.
Canelo vs Scull LIVE: Martin Bakole vs Efe Ajagba
01:05Round two
Bakole gently presses forward for the majority of the round.
He lands a grazing left hook at one point, then catches Ajagba on the end of a long cross.
Lots of good jabbing from Bakole, too, to the head and body.
Canelo vs Scull LIVE: Martin Bakole vs Efe Ajagba
01:02 , Alex PattleHeavyweight action to kick things off!
Can Martin Bakole bounce back from his short-notice fight with – and knockout by – Joseph Parker in February?
He takes on Efe Ajagba here. The first round is largely a feeling-out process, lots of jabs from both men with neither wanting to open up too much... until Ajagba lands a nice cross on the bell!
Canelo vs Scull LIVE: How did Cuban’s sparring with Conor Benn really go?
Sunday 4 May 2025 00:45 , Alex PattleAhead of Conor Benn’s middleweight defeat by Chris Eubank Jr last week, the former’s father, Nigel, dismissed usual boxing etiquette to spill some sparring stories. He insinuated that Conor bullied Scull recently, and that the latter quit after eight rounds.
“I was at a different stage in my preparation than him,” Scull told The Ring, aiming to set the record straight. “We had good rounds, maybe in some of them he touched me more and in some I touched him more. That’s sparring.
“But I heard the way his father told it, and it’s not true. That I took my gloves off, that’s a lie; that I quit, that’s a lie.”
Perhaps more pertinently, Scull’s promoter Ingo Volckmann told iFL TV: “We said we make eight rounds, we said we make one-minute stop, because it was our first sparring. He was already doing some sparring – eight rounds. We said eight rounds, we did eight rounds.
“I really have to laugh a little bit. First of all, even if it [had been] like this, nobody speaks about it; [that’s] sportsmanship. Next time [...] we’ll make 14 rounds with him. We can do it easily.”
Canelo vs Scull LIVE: Inside Alvarez’s brutal blueprint for a fight-ready physique
Sunday 4 May 2025 00:28 , Harry BullmoreYou might be familiar with the phrase “hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard”. Canelo shows what’s possible when mercurial talent and relentless hard work intersect.
Throughout his career, he’s repeatedly sought out high-calibre opponents – and repeatedly sat them down through a cocktail of inventive combinations, powerful counterpunches and a rarely-matched ring IQ. For this reason, he’s widely considered to be among the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world.
But how does a fighter of his ability train to maintain his impressive record? And what strength and conditioning techniques does he use to improve his performance levels?
As a fitness writer, I’ve reviewed every training video I could find of Canelo’s workouts away from the ring – and identified a few common threads:
Canelo-Scull: Inside Alvarez’s brutal blueprint for fight-ready physique
Canelo vs Scull LIVE: The odd performance Alvarez needs to get fans invested in Crawford fight
Sunday 4 May 2025 00:07 , Alex PattleSo, Canelo finds himself in the strange position of needing to be good against William Scull tonight, but maybe not too good.
As Canelo makes his Saudi debut and aims to become a two-time undisputed super-middleweight champion, he is not only defending his unified titles; he is aiming to preserve the biggest bout of his career: September’s planned super-fight with Terence Crawford.
In that sense, the Mexican icon of course needs a win, which is exactly what is expected in Riyadh. Yet there is an argument that there might actually be some downside in an emphatic victory.
It all relates to that match-up with Crawford – one of the biggest of a generation, but also one of the most contrived.
Full article:
The odd performance Canelo needs to get fans invested in Terence Crawford fight
Canelo vs William Scull LIVE: Welcome!
Saturday 3 May 2025 22:00 , Alex PattleSaul “Canelo” Alvarez fights William Scull tonight, as the Mexican icon makes his Saudi debut and aims to preserve a super-fight with Terence Crawford.
Canelo puts his unified super-middleweight titles on the line against IBF champion Scull, in a bid to become a two-time undisputed champion in the division.
And if Canelo is victorious, he’ll stay on track for a planned super-fight with Crawford, a fellow pound-for-pound talent who is due to venture up to 167lb to box Alvarez in September.
Scull, 32, is undefeated, but the Cuban has never faced an opponent of Canelo’s pedigree. Tonight’s main event in Riyadh could therefore produce a showcase performance from Alvarez, 34, as he approaches the biggest bout of his career.
Follow live updates and results from Canelo vs Scull and the undercard fights, right here.
