Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez beat William Scull by unanimous points decision in a drab fight on Sunday morning in Riyadh to become undisputed super middleweight champion again.
Alvarez, who was making his Saudi Arabian debut, is a four-weight world champion and entered the fight with the WBA, WBC and WBO titles at 168 pounds.
He was stripped of the IBF belt last July when he declined to make a mandatory defense against Scull. He had owned that title since November 2021 when he defeated Caleb Plant.
Alvarez became an undisputed champion in the division for the second time when the judges scored it 115-113, 116-112, 119-109 in his favour. The 34-year-old Mexican improved to 63-2-2, with 39 knockouts, and is unbeaten in 10 fights in the super middleweight division.
The fight against IBF champion Scull didn’t live up to expectation, leading to booing inside the arena. The Cuba-born Scull entered the ring unbeaten in 23 professional fights, but constantly moved around, dodging, shuffling and frustrating Alvarez, who was unable to press the action.
Moments after the decision was declared, the promotion for a proposed September 12 fight between Alvarez and Terence Crawford began, with both men facing each other in the ring.
Alvarez was fighting outside the US or Mexico for the first time and had to make plenty of adjustments, including to the time zone.
The fighters walked into the ring and the anthems started around 6.20am local time for the main bout in Riyadh, timed so it was in prime time on the US West Coast.
The opening rounds were slow with both boxers feeling for range and the intensity gradually lifted with Scull throwing more punches but not landing much.
Alvarez, by contrast, stayed patient and was landing body shots. By the end, Alvarez threw almost half as many punches as Scull (152-293) but landed one more (56-55), predominantly power shots to the body.
“That’s why I don’t like to fight those kinds of guys, they come just to survive [and] just to do the 12 rounds,” Alvarez said of Scull, adding that neither the timing of the bout nor the quality of the contest was a problem because he had plenty of time to prepare.
“With this kind of fight, anything can be said [by the judges]. For me, it’s a boring fight. A fighter is not trying to win, they just try to survive. I hate those kinds of fighters.
"That's why I don't like them. I hope September [against Crawford brings] another kind of fight.
“But it's OK, we won. We're here with the title as the champion. I'm a champion. I’m a professional, so that’s all, no excuse or anything."
As for the September showdown against Crawford, who will be stepping up two weight divisions, Alvarez added: “I feel great. Crawford is one of the best out there and, you know, I like to share the ring with that kind of fighter. It’s my pleasure.”
Crawford was in the crowd watching in the Saudi capital.
“I’m feeling great. I'm feeling blessed. Things happen for a reason, and there’s a reason why I’m here," he said. “In September I’m showing the world what greatness looks like.”
