Who doesn’t love a good episode of ‘Saturday Night Live’? Well, this time it was from Saudi Arabia.
Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (167.1) was defending his unified super middleweight titles against Cuba’s William Scull (166.1). While Scull isn’t a household name in the sport, he did come in with a strong amateur pedigree from the outstanding Cuban amateur system. But, history tells us that the amateur and pro game is very different.
Canelo clocked in with a record of 62-2-2, (39 KOs) and a reputation as the biggest draw in the sport.
Scull came in as the undefeated IBF Champion at 23-0, with 9 KOs.
In reality, it was a mismatch on paper, but could the slick, unbeaten Cuban pose a difficult style for Alvarez?
Alvarez said before the fight that he had “faced every style” and that Scull “won’t bring anything that I haven’t seen before”.
Scull, grateful for the opportunity on boxing’s biggest stage, stayed somewhat quiet and calmly plotted to pull off an upset of epic proportions.
Before the fight, Alvarez, who has faced some criticism for not facing bigger names in and around his division, defended the Scull matchup as a different style to face.
Would the strength and power of Alvarez be able to stem the tide of Scull’s precision, angles, and a skilled tactical approach mastered in his previous amateur and professional outings?
With Canelo’s WBC, WBA, and WBO, along with Scull’s IBF 168-pound title, all on the line, there was a lot of hardware at stake.
“We’ll have to take it round by round. I’ve had a great preparation and I’m a boxer that can manage all types of distances within the ring, different ranges,” said Scull. “We’re not going to go crazy throughout the fight”, he continued. But, the best bet is that he was going to box and move to frustrate his stronger opponent.
While there was the feeling of ‘another day at the office’ for Alvarez, he was ready to get at it. “Professional fight number 67 feels the same for me,” said the WBC, WBA, and WBO champion. “I love boxing. I enjoy boxing and for me it’s the same. It’s the same excitement, motivation, and I’m ready for Saturday”, he said. “He said he is going to eat me?”, said Alvarez, “the only thing he is gonna eat is this” (holding up his fist), he said.
Before the fight, Canelo talked like he was going to welcome Scull to the big leagues, but in the end, he seemed content to cruise to a decision win. This has been something he has been criticized for in the past.
Scull did have some movement that seemed to frustrate Alvarez, but it didn’t do enough to turn the scorecards his way. What it did do was allow Scull to finish the fight and say he went the distance with Alvarez. However, it was a fight that lacked any real action. A nice KO from Alvarez would have done something to wet the appetite of fight fans for his next bout with undefeated welterweight star Terence Crawford, who was sitting ringside.
The most dramatic moment in the ring was when Alvarez and Crawford faced off against each other at the end.
But credit where credit is due. Canelo got the job done. Canelo Alvarez via UD 12 (115-113, 116-112, 119-109) in walking away with the WBO, WBC, and IBF super middleweight titles.
Does size matter? Next up for Alvarez is a huge mega-bout in September with undefeated welterweight star Terence Crawford, who can’t match him in size but can go toe to toe with him in the skills department. Let the predictions and theories begin!
Undercard
WBC world Cruiserweight title – Badou Jack W MD 12 Norair Mikaeljan
Super middleweight – Jaime Munguia UD 12 Bruno Surace
Heavyweight – Martin Bakole M Draw 10 Efe Ajagba
Super Middleweight – Brayan Leon UD 6 Aaron Rocha Guerrero
Lightweight – Mohammed Alakel UD 6 Alexander Morales
Middleweight – Marco Verde TKO 1 Michel Polina
Speaking of championship careers…
This article is dedicated to the memory of boxing judge Tom Kaczmarek, who recently passed at the age of 96. A veteran of over 2000 professional bouts, with 110 world championship fights, in his outstanding career. Judging took him all over the world, including the United States, Mexico, Europe, Asia, and Australia in his career. A member of the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame, his name is on the ballot for the International Boxing Hall of Fame. On behalf of everyone at MaxBoxing, our deepest condolences. Rest in Peace, champ!
