Canelo Alvarez secured the victory he needed on Saturday, though the performance against William Scull was far from spectacular.
Fighting at The Venue in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Alvarez defended his WBA (Super), WBC, WBO, and *The Ring* super middleweight titles against IBF champion William Scull in a unification bout. This fight was presented as the final hurdle before a highly anticipated superfight. Despite a somewhat dull affair, Alvarez successfully navigated the challenge, winning a clear decision to become the undisputed super middleweight champion.
Fans hoping for a vintage, explosive performance from Canelo were left wanting. Scull employed a strategy that largely nullified Alvarez`s powerful offense. Canelo, in turn, was content to control the fight with forward pressure and body work, winning rounds steadily. Scull made no significant adjustments, resulting in a fight that lacked major highlights. The judges scored the bout 115-113, 116-112, and 119-109 in favor of Alvarez.
However, the nature of the fight quickly became secondary to the events that followed. Immediately after the decision was announced, Turki Alalshikh brought out former undisputed light welterweight and welterweight champion Terence `Bud` Crawford. Alalshikh then confirmed that the long-rumored superfight between Alvarez and Crawford is officially booked for September 12th at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Adding further significance to the announcement, Alalshikh revealed that this blockbuster event will serve as the inaugural card for UFC CEO Dana White’s new boxing venture, TKO Boxing.
Terence Crawford will be moving up two weight classes from 154 pounds to challenge Alvarez at 168 pounds. Crawford`s last fight was in August, where he captured the WBA light middleweight title from Israil Madrimov via unanimous decision.
