Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and William Scull have kept it cool and civilized throughout the buildup to their undisputed clash.
Still, each found a way to take a dig at each other Thursday during the final press conference ahead of their championship affair.
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All four major super middleweight titles are at stake when Mexico’s Alvarez (62-2-2, 39 KOs) and Scull (23-0, 9 KOs) — a Cuban export based in Berlin, Germany — meet atop a DAZN Pay-Per-View this Saturday from ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The time difference will actually place the main event in the ring at roughly 6 a.m. local time on Sunday (11 p.m. ET).
Alvarez puts his lineal championship and WBC, WBA and WBO belts on the line. Scull comes with the IBF belt that was stripped from Alvarez last year.
Scull is just happy to have the opportunity at all, considering this fight wasn’t even on the table a year ago.
“We were surprised, to be honest,” Scull, 32, told DAZN’s Chris Mannix during his time on the mic. “But you’re always in training to be prepared for something like this come along. We thank Canelo and his team for accepting this fight. Now we’re here and ready.”
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The fight marks the first in Saudi Arabia for both boxers.
It’s a bit more surprising of a move for Guadalajara’s Alvarez, Uncrowned’s No. 7 pound-for-pound fighter and arguably the biggest global star in the sport. Cinco de Mayo weekend has traditionally placed the four-division champ in Las Vegas, amid a festive atmosphere in what has long served as boxing’s fight capital.
That dynamic has threatened to change since the Riyadh Season group has entered boxing, with Turki Al-Sheikh taking the lead in the movement. This corner of the world has played host to the first undisputed heavyweight championship of the 21st century between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury, their three-belt rematch, and back-to-back fully unified light heavyweight clashes between Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev.
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All four of those bouts have taken place in the past 12 months. Alvarez is now ready to join that list, in the chance to become a two-time undisputed super middleweight king.
“I’m very excited to be here in Riyadh,” Alvarez said of his first career fight outside of North America. “That’s the only part that feels different. It’s always been a dream to fight in another country. I’m about to do it and I’m excited. It’s the same [excitement] for me and I’m ready for Saturday.
“The beginning was a little bit difficult. Not only for the time but the weather, it’s a little bit heavy. That’s why I come three weeks before. I knew it was going to happen and now I’m ready.”
Canelo Alvarez meets William Scull on Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for the undisputed super middleweight title. (Photo by Fayez NURELDINE / AFP)
(FAYEZ NURELDINE via Getty Images)
Alvarez has won world titles at every weight from junior middleweight through light heavyweight. He has claimed lineal championship status at 154, 160 and 168, the latter where he has reigned supreme since a December 2020 points win over then-unbeaten Callum Smith to win the WBA “Super” and the vacant WBC titles.
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Saturday will mark the ninth overall defense of those belts, along with six more with the WBO title at stake.
It’s his first fight with the undisputed crown on the line in exactly 52 weeks, with Scull as the reason why the IBF belt is no longer in his possession. Alvarez was ordered to honor his mandatory title challenge but opted to instead face the more recognizable Edgar Berlanga, whom he defeated via 12 lopsided rounds last September in Las Vegas.
Scull went on to win the vacant IBF belt in a 12-round decision over Vladimir Shishkin on Oct. 18 in Falkansee, Germany. Their battle of unbeaten contenders came with considerably less fanfare than is the case with any given Alvarez fight.
Still, it was enough leverage for Scull to revisit this matchup and now position himself for a night — well, morning in Riyadh — where he has vowed to shock the world.
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“I left Cuba and gone on to face opponents in 24 different countries,” noted Scull, whose pro journey led him from Cuba to Argentina, to Germany and now on the sport’s biggest stage. “I’ve been against many fighters who have underestimated me. Just like on those occasions, I’m here to prove everyone wrong.
“I’m thankful for the chance to unify and I’m ready to say, ‘Yes I can.’”
Alvarez was quick to tell Scull that, no, he cannot.
“He says he’s going to eat me but the only thing he’s going to eat is this [raises his fists],” Alvarez said, drawing a rise out of the intimate but passionate crowd on hand. “Everybody always talks a lot of s*** but he’s going to feel something different for sure.”
Martin Bakole and Efe Ajagba’s final war of words turned fiery ahead of their bout Saturday on the Canelo-Scull undercard. (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
(Richard Pelham via Getty Images)
Bakole, Ajagba ignite undercard presser
The biggest upset came midway through Thursday’s press event. Martin Bakole and Efe Ajagba have spent months preparing for the other in the ring, but they were eager to let their insults fly before they trade fists.
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Bakole and Ajagba were previously due to meet in an IBF heavyweight title eliminator. That status changed when Bakole (21-2, 16 KOs) — a Congolese contender based in Scotland — agreed to face New Zealand’s Joseph Parker on just two days’ notice as part of the Feb. 22 supercard in Riyadh. Parker won via second-round knockout, though Bakole was still afforded the chance to face Nigeria’s Ajagba (20-1, 14 KOs) in an all-Africa battle.
“The Parker fight was not my fight,” insisted Bakole, who snapped a five-fight win streak with the short notice assignment. “This is my fight. The Parker fight was just a phone call. They asked me to come and save the show, so I did.”
His opponent was less interested in that past as he was in the immediate future.
“I’m asking him to be tough because he’s going to be punished,” vowed Ajagba, who has won his last five contests. “I’m going to bring out the beast. I want to see what he’s got. I’m just focused on being [Africa’s best].”
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That was all it took.
“You better be ready,” insisted Bakole. “You f***ing talking s***.”
“You’re talking s***,” replied Ajagba. “You keep talking s***, I’m going to close your mouth. I’m going to beat the f***ing shit out of you.
“You f***ing fought nobody. This is your first fight. This is going to be your first real fight.
“Small body, big energy. You, big body, small energy. Be ready, be ready.”
Also on the show:
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Badou Jack (28-3-3, 17 KOs) defends his returned WBC cruiserweight title against Noel Mikaelian (27-2, 12 KOs), who was stripped of the belt originally removed from Jack in 2023.
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Tijuana’s Jaime Munguia (44-2, 35 KOs) meets France’s Bruno Surace (26-0-2, 5 KOs) in a rematch to their Dec. 14 meeting, won by Surace via sixth-round knockout in a massive upset. Munguia has since linked up with Eddy Reynoso, Alvarez’s career-long trainer; Munguia lost to Alvarez via unanimous decision in their undisputed super middleweight championship exactly 52 weeks ago.
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