Boxing sensation Canelo Alvarez stepped back into the squared circle on Saturday night looking to become a two-time undisputed champion.
Already holding the WBA, WBC, and WBO super middleweight world titles, Alvarez faced William Scull, the newly crowned IBF super middleweight titleholder. Alvarez was forced to give up the IBF title in 2024 after he opted to fight Edgar Berlanga instead of defending it against Scull, the IBF’s mandatory challenger at the time.
A year later, their paths finally cross as Alvarez makes his highly anticipated boxing debut in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Round 1
Scull offers up a couple of jabs to start as Alvarez takes the center of the ring. Alvarez doubles up on the jab and throws a right against the ropes. Alvarez throws another heavy right hand near the ropes, prompting Scull to circle away. Alvarez tries to land a wide left hook, and Scull fires back with a counter right. The clock runs out on the round, with both fighters continuing to download information on one another.
Round 2
It’s nearly a minute into the second before Alvarez unleashes a shot, but it’s a heavy one-two near the ropes. Alvarez rips to the body, and Scull drops his hand to try and block the shot. Scull jabs away. Alvarez tries to respond with a right hook, but he’s just out of reach. Scull offers up his own one-two as Alvarez stalks. Alvarez jabs to the head, and Scull throws one to his body. Alvarez corners him and lands a combination to the body just before the bell.
Round 3
Canelo Alvarez opens the round with another solid body shot as Scull struggles to get his offense going. Scull throws a jab to the body, but he’s just out of range. Scull is starting to get a little more comfortable, but his offense is still few and far between. Alvarez rips to the body once again and backs Scull into the corner. Scull circles away and throws a right that misses the mark. Live odds already have Alvarez sitting as a whopping +10000.
Scull jabs, but it fails to get through Alvarez’s guard. Scull double jabs. Alvarez is content to sit back and block Scull’s jabs throughout the remainder of the round.
Round 4
Scull goes right back to the jab, but they’re not getting through Alvarez’s guard. Alvarez throws a big body shot with Scull against the ropes. Alvarez is focused solely on the Scull’s midsection, and he continues to walk down the IBF champ. Alvarez again attacks the body of Scull, grazing the ribs. Alvarez throws a right in the corner, but Scull fires back with a counter that connects.
Scull throws a combination toward the end of the round. Alvarez looks to respond, but neglects to land anything before the bell.
Round 5
More of the same in round five as Alvarez stalks while Scull dances around and pumps his jab. Alvarez finally throws a combination nearly two minutes into the stanza, catching Scull’s midsection, but missing up top. Alvarez sits down on a right hand and punishes Scull’s body. Alvarez throws another right, but Scull counters, and that’s the final exchange of the round.
Round 6
Canelo Alvarez connects with a right hand. Scull moves away, and Alvarez lands another body shot as his opponent circles away. The body shots are starting to add up as ‘Canelito’ lands another one near the ropes. Scull attempts to land a right hand in close, but Alvarez clinches up, prompting a break from the referee. They trade jabs in the corner. Alvarez lands a right hand to the body, marking the last substantial strike of the round.
Round 7
It’s another slow start, but Alvarez lands a body shot near the 30-second mark of the round. Alvarez backs Scull into the corner and throws a combination that forces Scull to tie up. Alvarez is cutting off the ring, looking to punish the body some more. Scull finally lands a shot with 40 seconds to go in the round, connecting with a left hand. Other than that, Scull has offered little to no offense in the round, and Alvarez is happy to let him dance around through the bell.
Round 8
Alvarez targets the body with a power left. Scull jabs followed by a double jab. Alvarez throws a body shot and Scull looks to counter with an uppercut, but just misses. Scull throws a right, but Alvarez is out of range. Alvarez backs him into the corner and throws a combination. Scull engages with a combination of his own as he circles out. Scull jabs as Alvarez pressures him to the corner again.
Alvarez fails to throw anything, and the round ends with Scull throwing another jab that fails to get through Alvarez’s guard.
Round 9
The referee issues a warning to the fighters for running too much just before the ninth round. Canelo Alvarez gets going early, but appears to connect low with a shot that brings a brief pause to the bout, but the fight gets back underway relatively quickly. Alvarez goes right back to attacking the body. Scull throws a right hand that just misses. The remainder of the round plays out with Scull moving around and pumping the jab. Alvarez lands a right hand to the body just before the bell.
Round 10
With time running out, all Scull seems interested in doing is throwing jabs out of range and moving laterally. Scull walks Alvarez into a right hand at the halfway point of the 10th, while Alvarez appears to be taking this stanza off. This is by far Scull’s best round, but largely because Alvarez has offered next to no offense throughout the entire three minutes.
Round 11
Even the referee is getting a bit frustrated, telling Alvarez to start fighting before the penultimate round begins. Alvarez then tells referee Kieran McCann to direct his instructions to Scull. Alvarez lands a right hand to the body, but partially blocked by his opponent. Scull once again complains that it was low, but the fight continues uninterrupted. A left hook lands for Alvarez downstairs. Scull responds with a two-punch combination and clips Alvarez on the way out of punching range.
Alvarez is clearly frustrated and tries to lift Scull off the ground.
Round 12
A left hook connects for Alvarez to start the final round as Scull holds his feet for a second. Scull starts throwing left hands to Alvarez’s chin and body. The crowd is finally getting fired up as the fighters are finally starting to throw some heat.
Alvarez throws a big body shot, and Scull responds with a combination. Alvarez pushes Scull onto the ropes and unleashes a three-punch combination, punctuated by a left hand to the body of Scull. Alvarez tries a left hook to the body, but Scull embroils him in a clinch, and the fight comes to a close, sending us to the scorecards.
Official Result: Canelo Alvarez def. William Scull via unanimous decision (115-113, 116-112, 119-109) to become the undisputed super middleweight world champion.
Check Out Highlights From Canelo Álvarez vs. William Scull:
🇲🇽 Canelo Alvarez makes the walk to the ring #CaneloScull
pic.twitter.com/c9AEP0dyen— Delinquent MMA (@DelinquentMMA) May 4, 2025
HERE. WE. GO!!!! 💥🥊
🎟 Buy #CaneloScull on https://t.co/FoiaUucafv NOW
Live Now | #RiyadhSeason | Powered by @FATALFURY_PR City of Wolves @SNKPofficial | @ringmagazine pic.twitter.com/WerpfatwFC
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) May 4, 2025
Canelo Alvarez BEATS William Scull by unanimous decision
Alvarez becomes the Ring and undisputed super-middleweight world champion #CaneloSkull
pic.twitter.com/YLBH9Ux0mL— Delinquent MMA (@DelinquentMMA) May 4, 2025
Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford FIRST FACE-OFF ‼️ pic.twitter.com/ESllrSn3w6
— Ring Magazine (@ringmagazine) May 4, 2025
