Canelo vs Scull Betting Tips
- Canelo Alvarez to win by KO or TKO - 8/15 Bet365
- Norair Mikaeljan & Martin Bakole to win - 2/1 William Hill
Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and William Scull face off this weekend as both fighters look to become the undisputed super-middleweight champion in Saudi Arabia.
Canelo is bidding to become unified champion for the second time in his career as he makes his debut in Saudi Arabia, though the Mexican fighter may already be looking beyond this fight and towards the planned super-fight against American Terence Crawford in September.
This unification fight with Scull – who currently holds the IBF belt – is the first of a four-fight deal that Canelo has made with the Saudis, with Crawford another fight on the list and names including Chris Eubank Jr. having also been linked.
And the super-middleweight champion is a heavy favourite going into the fight, with betting sites offering a Canelo win at 1/33 compared to 12/1 for Scull.
The main event between Alvarez and Cuba’s Scull is one of two super-middleweight fights on the card – with Jaime Munguia aiming to avenge his defeat to Bruno Surace – while Martin Bakole takes on Efe Ajagba just over two months after losing to Joseph Parker, and Badou Jack aims to defend his WBC cruiserweight title against Norair Mikaeljan.
Canelo vs Scull Betting Preview: Alvarez Can Make a Statement
The quotes of 1/33 on boxing betting sites for a Canelo win suggest this bout is a foregone conclusion.
The 34-year-old last lost in 2022 when he faced Dmitry Bivol at light-heavyweight, and has since retained his super-middleweight titles five times, including against long-term rival Gennady Golovkin as well as Jaime Munguia and, most recently, Edgar Berlanga.
By contrast, Scull enters by far the biggest fight of his career having won the vacant IBF title (which Canlo himself vacated) against Vladimir Shishkin in October 2024.
The 32-year-old has only fought 23 times, though he’s yet to lose in his professional career. Despite this, most bookmakers have almost ruled him out of contention before a punch has even been thrown.
Betting apps are offering odds of 7/5 for Canelo to win via decision, but this is a chance to make a statement to future opponent Crawford. The four-weight champion has a record of 39 knockouts across his 62 wins, and can chalk up stoppage win number 40 at 8/15.
Canelo vs Scull prediction 1: Canelo Álvarez to win by KO or TKO - 8/15 Bet365
Norair Mikaeljan vs Badou Jack Prediction: New Champ Incoming
There’s another title fight on the card in Riyadh, with Badou Jack facing Norair Mikaeljan as the former looks to defend his WBC cruiserweight title.
Jack is making his first defence of the title since winning it against Ilunga Makabu in late February, and despite having not lost since 2019, he is the outsider at 5/4.
Mikaeljan, himself a former world champion at cruiserweight, has replaced the injured Ryan Rozicki, and the Armenian also beat Makabu in his last fight.
That third-round TKO victory in late 2023 is clearly more convincing than Jack’s own 12th-round TKO win over Makabu, which perhaps explains why the Armenian is 20/31 favourite.
Martin Bakole vs Efe Ajagba Prediction: Bounce Back From Bakole
In the other notable fight on the undercard, Martin Bakole faces Efe Ajagba, just over two months after he stepped in at late notice to fight Joseph Parker.
Though Bakole lost on that day, he enters this heavyweight contest as the 1/4 favourite on betting sites, with Ajagba an outsider at 3/1.
The Congolese’s second-round defeat to Parker was just the second loss of his career – having taken the fight on two days’ notice – and his victories over the likes of Carlos Takam have shown that the 32-year-old is more than capable of putting away his Nigerian opponent.
To that end, a double on Mikaeljan and Bakole could provide value for those watching the undercard, with William Hill offering odds of 2/1 on the pair both winning.
Canelo vs Scull prediction 2: Norair Mikaeljan & Martin Bakole to win - 2/1 William Hill
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