Canelo Alvarez Dominates, Secures September 12 Showdown with Crawford

 Canelo Alvarez's super middleweight title defense against William Scull felt like little more than a formality heading into Saturday's fight — and that's exactly how it unfolded.

Alvarez (63-2-2, 39 KOs) regained his status as the undisputed 168-pound champion, defeating Scull (23-1, 9 KOs) by decision in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The win also allowed Alvarez to reclaim the IBF title, which he had lost after opting not to face Scull as his mandatory challenger.

Saturday's result sets the stage for a highly anticipated showdown between Alvarez and Terence Crawford on September 12 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Crawford, who was in attendance, immediately entered the ring to face off with Alvarez, adding to the excitement surrounding their future clash.

Though the victory was expected, the fight itself turned into a tedious 12-round affair. Scull, 32, spent most of the bout circling the ring, throwing weak jabs that lacked any real impact. Alvarez pursued Scull throughout, but was reluctant to go all out in his aggression. This made the fight relatively easy to score in Alvarez's favor, but difficult to watch. The judges scored the bout 119-109, 116-112, and 115-113 in Alvarez's favor.

“I don’t like fighting guys like that,” Alvarez admitted after the fight. “They just come to survive. But it won’t be like that against Crawford. I can’t stand fights like this. He moved more than we thought. But it's alright. We won. We’re here."

Despite the slow pace, Alvarez’s offensive output was far superior to Scull's. He landed 56 punches compared to Scull’s 55, but Alvarez was far more efficient, landing 53.9% of his power shots. Scull, meanwhile, managed just 38.4% of his power punches. While Scull barely threatened Alvarez, the fight marked the first defeat of his career.

Alvarez's victory extends his winning streak to six, though all of these wins have gone the distance. His last knockout came in November 2021 against Caleb Plant.

Looking ahead, Alvarez expressed excitement about facing Crawford, calling him one of the best fighters out there. Crawford, 41-0 with 31 KOs, was less impressed by Alvarez’s performance, stating simply, "He did what he had to do to get the job done."

The fight marked the fewest combined punches thrown in a 12-round contest in CompuBox's 40-year history, with just 445 punches thrown in total, an average of only 37 per round.

Alvarez's eyes are now on his September showdown with Crawford, a fight that promises much more action than his encounter with Scull.