SO, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez is in the strange position of needing to be good against William Scull on SaturdayBut maybe not Also GOOD.
As Canelo makes his Saudi debut And aims to become a double champion of undeniable somersonal weights, he not only defends his unified titles; It aims to preserve The greatest fight of his career: Super-combat scheduled for September with Terence crawford.
In this sense, the Mexican icon of course needs a victory, which is exactly what is expected in Riyadh. However, there is an argument that there could in fact be disadvantages in a categorical victory. Everything relates to this match with Crawford – one of the largest generation, but also one of the most artificial.
Crawford fought four weights and held titles of the world in each of them, although he was best known for his efforts at 147 LB, where he became undeniable Welters Champion with an amazing evisceration of Errol Spence Jr in 2023. Which was believed by most of being a 50-50 fight finished as an explosion. But when the 37 -year -old American reached a career summit of 154 pounds last summer, he was not at his strongest – Even in a super-welter weight victory against the Israil Madrimov match. Now he has to venture up to 167 pounds, a weight where Canelo has been comfortable for years.
Common boxing The theory suggests that when two fighters are close to skills but distant in weight, the naturally larger man should win. Consequently, there are fears that Canelo's size alone can prove to be decisive, despite the ranking of Crawford higher than the 34 -year -old man on just about all the fans and the list of pundit books.
Yes, Canelo is one of the first talents of his generation, but he showed faults that the unsightly crawford does not have. If Canelo was to come out victorious, it would be difficult not to feel that his weight was too much a differentiation. This is not aims to undermine the competence he would need to defeat Crawford, because Canelo will Need to be excellent against the SouthPaw, whatever happens.
Against Scull, however, it could be better if Canelo is just good.
That is to say: a little vulnerability of the Mexican, against his Cuban enemy, could reinforce the conviction that Crawford can overcome the disparity of the weight and to win a victory in inherited stimulation.
The problem is that Canelo should have little trouble against Scull, 32, whose unbeaten record denies the fact that he has won no note name. In fact, Scull's own profile is lacking in relation to Canelo's usual opposition, and he only relaxed in unwanted circumstances last week.
Before Conor Benn's average weight defeat by Chris Eubank JrThe old father, Nigel, rejected the usual boxing label to overthrow some fighting stories. He insinuated that Conor intimidated Scull recently and that the latter left after eight laps.
“I was at a different stage from my preparation than him,” said Scull The ringaiming to set the record straight. “We had good rounds, maybe in some of them, he touched me more and in some, I touched him more. It's out. But I heard the way his father told him, and that is not true. That I removed my gloves, it is a lie; that I left, it is a lie.
“Many things have happened there, and I don't want to apologize, but I also had a new head protective that continued to slip. These things happen in the fight, but that does not matter in a real fight. We actually asked them for a second session, but they said “no”.
Perhaps more perfectly, said the promoter of Scull, Ingo Volckmann Ifl TV: “We said we are doing eight laps, we said we were doing a minute, because it was our first fight. It was already fighting – eight rounds. We said eight rounds, we made eight laps. I really have to laugh a little. First.
There is the story of Nigel Benn, there is the story of Scull and Volckmann, and the truth could be somewhere between the two. The reality is that Canelo was always going to be strongly favored against Scull, that the Cuban really struggled with a Welter weight that swelled in average weight.
Fans can only hope that Scull now has the piece between his teeth, even more than before, and that he can cause some concern to Canelo. If it can, there can be less concern about the confrontation of Crawford.
