RIYADH: Mexican boxing superstar Saul “Canelo” Alvarez unified the super middleweight world titles after a unanimous points win over IBF champion William Scull in Riyadh early on Sunday. Alvarez, 34, improved to 63-2-2 with 39 knockouts after doing enough on his Saudi debut which continued his tradition of fighting during the Mexican festival weekend of Cinco de Mayo.

The Cuban super middleweight entered the unification title fight with a 23-0 record as a heavy underdog. Scull largely stayed on the outside for most of the fight, relying on his advantage in height and reach along with footwork and speed to try keep Alvarez at bay. But Canelo was able to land walloping body shots throughout the fight, as he stalked Scull, cutting off the ring and cornering his opponent with flurries of hooks. “He moved even more than I thought. But, it’s OK, we win,” said Canelo in the post-fight interview.

Canelo was coming off a lopsided unanimous decision over Edgar Berlanga in Las Vegas last year. Alvarez was stripped of his International Boxing Federation belt when he agreed to fight Berlanga over Scull, the IBF’s mandatory challenger. This weekend’s contest marked the first time Canelo has fought outside of North America during his nearly 20-year professional career.

The boxers entered the ring early Sunday morning to coincide with prime-time Saturday night TV in North America. The bout had been billed as a tune-up for a widely anticipated showdown between Alvarez and Terence Crawford later this year. Following the win, Crawford entered the ring, where a fight date was agreed for the two to meet in Las Vegas on Sept 12.

On the undercard, Jaime Munguia avenged his knockout loss to super middleweight Bruno Surace last year, after keeping the Frenchman against the ropes for much of the rematch and landing rapid combinations, earning him a unanimous decision. 

In recent years, the kingdom has been pouring money into boxing events as part of Saudi Arabia’s oil-funded thrust into the sporting world. Along with Formula One, the LIV Golf tour and attracting several football stars to its domestic league, Saudi Arabia was named last year as the host of the 2034 football World Cup. Alvarez signed a four-fight deal with Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Seasons promotion in February. — AFP