Canelo Álvarez Reclaims Undisputed Super Middleweight Title in Record-Low Action Fight, Sets Up Mega-Bout with Terence Crawford

Published On: May 4, 2025

CBS Sports reports that Saul “Canelo” Álvarez reaffirmed his super middleweight dominance on Saturday night when he unanimously beat William Scull at the ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Canelo claimed back the IBF title and once again became the undisputed super middleweight champion of the world. Not for the action of the fight, but for its profound lack thereof, this fight will go down in history. All judges also scored the fight in favor of the Mexican superstar 115-113, 116-112, 119-109.

Álvarez’s fights are always a spectacle; however, in this particular case, Canelo showcased his skills at the expense of Saudi officials and boxing dignitaries. Unfortunately, the spectacle never came as the fight devolved into Scull, the previously unbeaten Cuban, becoming overly defensive. Being that Scull spent so much of the fight moving laterally around the ring, clinching, and avoiding exchanges with Álvarez, this would classify as a ‘strategic’ defensive approach that mitigates engagement. The combination produced an event with few captivating moments and an exuberant lack of action.

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As per CompuBox, the fighters chỉ used 445 punches across 12 rounds, the lowest ever in 12-round fights, as surveyed by CompuBox. Álvarez only threw 152 punches, the remarkably low second number for a 12-round fight, while Scull threw 293. The fighters’ average rests at five punches landed per round. A staggering 83% of Canelo’s effective power punches were directed to the body. This relative inactivity led to harsh criticism from the general public. It gave the impression that this title fight was one of the most boring contests in recent history.

The third round ended with Álvarez showing his displeasure with the match. In the case of Canelo, he complained by saying that the fight lacked excitement. Angular movement and force applied to his opponent’s body were sufficient to come out victorious and obtain all four esteemed belts: the WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO super middleweight titles. The matchup was the first of four fights in Álvarez’s new contract with Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Season, a deal estimated to be worth $400 million. The agreement, stretching through 2026, is one of the most lucrative in the history of boxing. Notably, Álvarez rejected a $150 million contract from YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul, choosing instead to pursue the legacy-defining possibilities presented by the Riyadh Season partnership.

As the dust settled from the battle, attention was diverted to the future. Saudi official Turki Alalshikh, who has been instrumental in hosting significant boxing events in the kingdom, surged into the ring with current undisputed light middleweight champion Terence Crawford. In a spectacular reveal, it was announced that Cruz and Crawford would battle on the 12th of September 2025 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Weighing in at super middleweight, Crawford will become the first boxer to step up two weight classes to meet Cruz, marking the unprecedented duel between two undisputed champions from separate divisions.

In the modern saga of boxing, the forthcoming Crawford and Alvarez fight is already considered pivotal. Alvarez and Crawford are regarded as two of the best of this generation, and the fight will likely garner a massive audience of 65,000 fans along with unprecedented pay-per-view sales. Reports suggest that Alvarez’s expected earnings for the fight will be around $150 million, further securing his position as one of the highest-paid boxers in history.

There is no doubt that while most of the boxing world is still processing Alvarez’s most recent title defense, everyone’s gaze is still fixated on the September date circled on everyone’s calendar. Although the fight on Saturday might have lacked excitement in entertainment value, it has successfully paved the way for a true super-fight. This bout will inevitably possess all the drama and entertainment the fans demand.

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