Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and William Scull previewed their bout and went face-to-face at the final press conference. The pair battle it out for the undisputed super middleweight title on May 3, live from ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Mexico’s 34-year-old Canelo (62-2-2, 39 KOs), who currently holds the unified WBA, WBC, and WBO belts, looks to regain the undisputed super middleweight title. 32-year-old Scull (23-0, 9 KOs) of Cuba, who is the current IBF champion, aims to get on top of the 168-pound division.
“We’ll have to take it round by round,” William Scull said when asked how he was going to beat Canelo Alvarez. “I’ve had a great preparation, and I’m a boxer that can manage all types of distances within the ring – different ranges. So, we’ll have to see how that plan develops.”
“We’re not going to go crazy throughout the fight, and we’re not going to kind of go into the fight plan now because that would be giving an advantage – putting food on the table of our opponents.”
‘I’m ready now’
Canelo steps through the ropes for the first time in his professional career, fighting outside both the U.S. and Mexico. When asked about the differences, he said: “At the beginning, it was a little bit difficult, a little bit different. The weather was heavy too, but that’s why I came three weeks before – I knew this was going to happen. But I’m ready now.”
“He says he’s going to eat me, but the only thing he’s going to eat is this,” Canelo said, showing his fist. “Everybody talks s**, but when they step in the ring, it’s going to be something different. He’s going to feel something different, for sure.”
“Believe me, this is nothing new for me, but for him, it’s going to be something different. And he’s going to feel something different, for sure.”
Among the bouts featured on the Canelo vs Scull undercard, Bruno Surace (26-0-2, 5 KOs) of France meets Mexico’s Jaime Munguia (44-2, 35 KOs) in a rematch at super middleweight. Surace stopped Munguia in the sixth round last December.
In another world championship bout, Badou Jack (28-3-3, 17 KOs) of Sweden defends his WBC cruiserweight title against former champion Noel Mikaelian (27-2, 12 KOs) of Armenia. Plus, Congo’s Martin Bakole (21-2, 16 KOs) and Nigerian-born Efe Ajagba (20-1, 14 KOs) of Stafford, TX square off at heavyweight.