Canelo routs unwilling Scull to become two-time undisputed champ
Unifies 168 division in historically horrendous fight but win sets up showdown vs. Crawford at Las Vegas' Allegiant Stadium in September
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The performance was far from vintage Canelo Alvarez but boxing’s No. 1 star nonetheless cruised to a decision win against the unwilling William Scull to once again become the undisputed super middleweight champion and set up a September mega fight with Terence Crawford in Las Vegas.
Alvarez retained the lineal title as well as the WBC, WBO and WBA 168-pound belts and reclaimed the IBF title from Scull in the historically desultory main event of a Riyadh Season DAZN PPV card at ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where the fight began at approximately 6:30 a.m. Sunday in order to accommodate Alvarez’s fan base in the United States and Mexico used to watching him fight late Saturday night.
It’s a good bet that many of those fans who tuned in probably wished they hadn’t after Alvarez outpointed Scull 119-109, 116-112 and a laughable 115-113 to become the first fighter to become a two-time undisputed champion in the same division in the four-belt era. Fight Freaks Unite had Alvarez, who was hardly at his best, winning 119-109.
The fight, taking place on Cinco de Mayo weekend, when Alvarez usually fights, featured virtually no action as Scull spent most of the fight bouncing up and down, circling the perimeter of the ring, staring at Alvarez for long stretches, doing nothing of consequence on offense, and sometimes outright running away from Alvarez, whose own offensive effort was nearly as unwatchable in the most forgettable title fight of his decorated career.
Alvarez, who was fighting outside of North America for the first time, was frustrated by Scull’s non-stop running.