Boxing’s P4P cash cow Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez returns to the ring on Saturday for a new era in his career after signing that lucrative deal with Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh season.
The Mexican megastar has signed a four-fight pact, beginning with a world super-middleweight unification showdown against William Scull in Riyadh (live on DAZN PPV).
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Alvarez (62-2-2) is now 34 years old and begins a pivotal year which should culminate in that incredible blockbuster against welterweight and light-middleweight superstar Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford.
Hopefully that bout comes down the line later in 2025, assuming all goes well on Saturday night in the desert. So here is everything we know about that one ahead of time.
When is Canelo vs Scull?
Okay so read carefully here folks, the timings are interesting. And unsurprisingly they are geared for US TV.
The bout will take place on Saturday May 3, US time, with ring walks for the main event set for 11pm ET (8pm Pacific if you are watching on the West Coast).
If you are watching in the UK however you will need to set your alarms for 4am on Sunday May 4. If you’re watching in the rest of Europe, it’s a 5am start time for Canelo.
How to watch the fight live
Okay so this one is much simpler – DAZN PPV has the rights globally and will air the bout pretty much everywhere.
If you’re in the US then you have two options. You can buy just the Canelo vs Scull show for $59.99. OR you can bundle it with Friday night’s Times Square show featuring fights with Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney. Both together will cost you 90 bucks.
If you are in the UK, then Canelo vs Scull alone is £21.99, or bundle it with Ryan Garcia, Haney et al – then the cost is £34.99.
Canelo vs Scull weights
The weigh-in will take place in Riyadh on Friday May 2 and we’ll bring you details as soon as the fighters have stepped off the scales.
The super-middleweight limit is of course 168lbs (12st).
What are the odds?
Canelo is a prohibitive favourite at 1/25 with Scull a massive 18/1 underdog. The Draw is 33/1.
What are they fighting for?
Pretty much absolutely everything. In so many ways.
Canelo is the WBA, WBC, WBO and Ring magazine super-middleweight champion and Scull holds the IBF belt. Whoever wins will be undisputed at 168lbs.
Of course there is a bigger prize here – for Canelo a win just cements the plan for that Crawford megafight later in the year. For Scull, a shock success would catapult him to proper stardom.
Canelo Alvarez record
Canelo, born in Guadalajara on July 18, 1990, is now 34 years old and has a professional boxing record of 62-2-2. He stands 5ft 7½ins tall (1.71m) and has a reach of 70½ins (1.79m).
Alvarez has a record which comprises just about every big name you could wish to imagine – including of course that epic trilogy vs Gennady ‘GGG’ Golovkin.
Canelo has suffered only two defeats during his epic career – against Floyd Mayweather in 2013 and then against Dmitry Bivol when he stepped up to light-heavyweight in 2022.
William Scull record
Scull, born in Matanzas, Cuba on June 6, 1992, is now 32 years old and has a pro record of 23-0 with 9 wins coming inside distance. Proof that this slickster is not a concussive puncher or a deadly finisher.
Scull, who stands 5ft 11½iins tall (1.82m), will have a significant height advantage over the much shorter Alvarez. His reach meanwhile is 73 ins (1.85m).
William claimed the IBF super-middleweight title with a unanimous decision over Vladimir Shishkin in Falkensee, Germany in October 2024. The Cuban star actually lives in Berlin, Germany.
Canelo vs Scull undercard
As ever for these Riyadh Season shows, the undercard is deep, featuring:
Bruno Surace vs Jaime Munguia (super-middleweight)
Martin Bakole vs Efe Ajagba (heavyweight)
Badou Jack (champion) vs Ryan Rozicki (WBC cruiserweight title)
Marco Verde vs Michel Polina (middleweight)
