In a rather disappointing fight, Canelo Alvarez won a unanimous decision over William Scull on Saturday night (Sunday in Riyadh) to regain his super middleweight title.
The fight started slowly with the Mexican being cautious and the Cuban moving around a lot. As the fight progressed, the pace gradually picked up, but Scull did not change his strategy, concentrating on moving around the ring in an attempt to survive.
William was the more active fighter in terms of quantity, but his accuracy left much to be desired. Canelo, on the other hand, was calculating and effective, focusing on punishing his opponent’s torso with powerful shots to the liver and ribs that made the difference.
Even the referee had to step in twice to tell them to start fighting, which was quite unusual and comical at the time.
Scull fought cautiously, keeping his distance and waiting for Canelo to make a mistake, but his lack of initiative prevented him from creating opportunities. It cost him the IBF title, and coming away empty-handed, it feels like he could have done a lot more, but he died with his strategy from round 1 to 12.
Canelo has yet to knock out an opponent in nearly four years
Saul‘s career began with devastating power: 26 knockouts in his first 36 fights before he even came close to a world title. But that percentage, while impressive, reflected more of a learning curve than a true test of fire… he had yet to face the real world of elite boxing.
From the time he won his first championship belt until his knockout of Caleb Plant in 2021, Canelo compiled a record of 21 wins, one loss and one draw, with 14 knockouts, for an effectiveness rate of 67%.
During that time, he moved up from 154 to 175 pounds, demonstrating exceptional versatility and knockout power that defied expectations in heavier divisions and established himself as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters of his era. Now, the Mexican is less willing to take risks and prefers to win by decision.
He now faces Terence Crawford on September 12th at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. As the knockout fails to materialize, the pressure on Canelo from his critics will only increase.
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