Boxing

Claressa Shields' Blunt 4-Word Verdict About Canelo Alvarez Opponent Says It All

Claressa Shields only needed four words to speak volumes about Canelo Alvarez's next fight in May.
Grant Young|
CLARESSA SHIELDS reacts to comments during the final press conference on May 31, 2023.
CLARESSA SHIELDS reacts to comments during the final press conference on May 31, 2023. | IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

In the early hours of February 7, it was revealed that Saul "Canelo" Alvarez had signed a four-fight deal with Turki Alalskikh.

When discussing the details behind this first fight, ESPN's Mike Coppinger wrote on X, "The first fight of Canelo’s four-fight deal, sources told ESPN, will take place May 4 in Riyadh that Sunday morning for a prime-time broadcast Saturday night in the U.S. Two names being considered for the Crawford tune-up: Jermall Charlo and Bruno Surace, who upset Jaime Munguia."

The fact that Coppinger called this May bout a "tune-up" for a blockbuster fight between Canelo and Terence Crawford in September suggested that whether it be Charlo, Surace, or someone else who steps in there against Canelo in May, fans shouldn't expect a major test.

Then on February 8, Turki Alalshikh revealed that Canelo would be fighting William Scull on May 3 in Riyadh in a fight that will be for the undisputed Ring, WBA, WBC, IBF & WBO super-middleweight world titles.

Scull is the current IBF super-middleweight champion and holds an undefeated 23-0 record with 9 KOs. Despite these seemingly impressive accolades, there's little doubt that Canelo will enter this bout as a massive favorite, and should have little issue making easy work of the 32-year-old.

What's for sure is that Scull is not at all a household name. And women's boxing great Claressa Shields alluded to this when responding to Alalshikh's X post by writing, "Who is William scull?"

Shields isn't the only person who seems let down about Canelo's first opponent for this four-fight contract.

But the bottom line is that Scull presents an opportunity for Canelo to unify the super-middleweight belts and shake any rust off before facing Terence Crawford.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young is a Staff Writer for On SI’s Boxing, New York Mets, Indiana Fever, and Women’s Fastbreak sites. Before joining SI in 2024, he wrote for various boxing and sports verticals such as FanBuzz and NY Fights. Young has a bachelor’s degree in marketing and a master’s degree in creative writing with an emphasis on sports nonfiction from the University of San Francisco, where he played five seasons of Division 1 baseball. He fought Muay Thai professionally in Thailand in 2023, loves a good essay, and is driven crazy trying to handle a pitpull puppy named Aura. Young lives in San Diego and was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area.