Saul “Canelo” Alvarez is set to defend his unified super middleweight championship against William Scull on Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The bout is a mandated defense for Alvarez, who holds the World Boxing Council, World Boxing Organization, and World Boxing Association titles, while Scull is the mandatory challenger for the International Boxing Federation belt.
The Saul “Canelo” Alvarez vs. Scull fight marks Alvarez’s first event under a new four-bout deal in Saudi Arabia. Scull, an undefeated Cuban fighter, holds the IBF title that Alvarez was stripped of last year for declining a mandatory defense against Scull at that time.
Alvarez aims to become undisputed champion in the division again by winning back the IBF strap. He previously unified all four major titles at 168 pounds. Scull presents a challenge with his undefeated record and technical style molded by the Cuban amateur system. The fight is being billed as a battle of diverging ambitions.
A victory for Alvarez is expected to clear the path for a potential mega-fight later this year. Reports indicate a planned clash against two-division undisputed champion Terence Crawford is slated for September, provided both fighters win their interim bouts.
The May 3 event takes place at the ANB Arena in Riyadh. While the specific canelo fight time for the main event ring walks has not been finalized down to the minute, it is expected around 10 p.m. British Summer Time, which is 2 p.m. Pacific Time, 4 p.m. Central Time, and 5 p.m. Eastern Time in the United States.
Alvarez (62-2-2, 39 KOs) enters the ring following a dominant win over Edgar Berlanga. His career includes most significant fights against prominent opponents across multiple weight classes. His previous title wins include a dominant decision win over Matthew Hatton in 2011, a unanimous decision win against Shane Mosley in 2012, and a unanimous decision win over Miguel Cotto in 2015 for his first middleweight title.
Other notable performances include a bout where he dominated Chavez Jr. in 2017 and a unification bout against Billy Joe Saunders in 2021 where damage forced his corner to stop the fight.
The event will stream live exclusively on DAZN pay-per-view. The undercard is expected to begin around 6 p.m. BST.
