For William Scull, it’s the chance of a lifetime. On May 3, the Cuban from the Berlin AGON stable will face superstar Canelo Alvarez. What are the chances of the underdog writing a boxing fairytale in Riyadh? BOXSPORT does the check.
William Scull is actually only “booked” for the Undisputed fight on May 3 against Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in Riyadh in order to play the role of a belt contender for a mega-fight like Felix Sturm once did. However, the string-pullers miscalculated by a hair’s breadth with Sturm in 2004 and he only lost his WBO middleweight title to Oscar de la Hoya in an extremely controversial decision.
Can IBF title holder Scull surprise in a similar way, can he even play spoiler for three-belt world champion Alvarez (WBC, WBO, WBA) and Terence Crawford, who are due to meet in the fall? BOXSPORT puts the two champions to the test.
Experience – advantage for Canelo
Scull went through the famous Cuban boxing school and has hundreds of amateur fights under his belt. Nevertheless, the comparison with Canelo in terms of experience is a “no contest”. Alvarez, who turned professional as a teenager, has more world championship duels behind him (26) than Scull has professional fights (23). The Mexican has been in the ring with Gennady Golovkin alone for 36 rounds and has gone the full distance with boxing legends such as Floyd Mayweather, Shane Mosley and Miguel Cotto.
Fighting style – Mexico meets Cuba
Scull is a variable boxer with strong technique and good footwork who prefers to box out his opponents in reverse. To do this, the IBF champion lures his “prey” into small traps and then scores points with quick counter-punches. Scull knows how to intercept an opponent with well-timed uppercuts and side-hooks and also switches smoothly from his usual left to right stance. However, he is not known as an offensive boxer or “volume puncher”.
The eleven centimeter shorter Canelo offers a total package that is rarely found in boxing. Alvarez has a wide arsenal of punches and brings his hands to the man effortlessly and effortlessly. He is a dream walker both forwards and backwards and effortlessly bridges the distance to physically superior opponents. His feints are legendary, fooling his opponents to place heavy hammers (Amir Khan greets you from his nightmares). Canelo is also extremely adept defensively and difficult to hit clearly. The superstar likes to “roll” with a rival’s punches, taking away their effect if they do get through.
Endurance – Surprise box
Canelo has completed more than 500 rounds in his 66 professional fights and has often shone in the “Championship Rounds”. No one should assume that the 34-year-old Mexican is slowing down with age. It’s hard to say how enduring Scull is. So far, he has not shown any weaknesses in terms of fitness, but “El Indomable” (the indomitable) has not yet fought a twelve-rounder against a world-class man – ergo he has not proven that he is also capable of top performances in the red zone.
Tactics – preparation is the key
Sergey Kovalev, Callum Smith, Caleb Plant, Jermell Charlo: Canelo has no problems with much bigger opponents and usually relies on controlled offense and body shots. On May 3, Eddy Reynoso’s protégé should be looking to negate Scull’s counter-attacking power with his feints and put the AGON fighter on the ropes.
Scull will have prepared conscientiously with head coach Franquis Aldama in Mallorca and studied the superstar closely. “I won’t let him get close,” he announced in the BOXSPORT interview. This suggests that Scull will rely on his jab to control the fight from long range. If Canelo attacks and bridges the distance, the Cuban will certainly try to bring his counter-attacking power into the ring.
Conclusion– advantages for Canelo
William Scull is a good boxer, Canelo Alvarez a very good one, an exceptional one. Anything other than a clear favorite victory would be a big surprise. Even if Canelo has a below-average day, it should be enough for an unchallenged success on the scorecards, the Mexican’s boxing class is too great. BOXSPORT sees a decent Canelo in May, who sends Scull to the ground in the course of the fight, but does not win by knockout, but unanimously and clearly on points.
A victory for Scull would be like a boxing fairytale. A thousand and one nights in the Persian Gulf? The odds feel like 1,000:1.
Text by Martin Armbruster