Color Canelo Alvarez as an interested combatant for a potential clash against Jake Paul.
But for now, Alvarez’s plans for 2025 are clear.
First, the Mexican superstar Alvarez (62-2-2, 39 KOs) will fight outside of North America for the first time in his 20-year career when he takes on William Scull (23-0, 9 KOs) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,
live on DAZN PPV. For Alvarez's fans in North America, ring walks will take place on May 3 during the traditional time of 11 p.m. EST / 8 p.m. PST.
If all goes according to plan, Alvarez will move on to a showdown against Terence Crawford in September.
"I always take my opponents seriously," Alvarez told DAZN. "I am training 100 percent like I am fighting with the best fighters out there. I know [Scull] has a lot of skills. He has a lot of amateur fights. They have a particular style that is difficult. But I fought with everybody and every style out there. I can adapt my style to anything, and this is not going to be the exception. He's a champion, and I want to be undisputed again. I think it's a good match for me right now.”
Alvarez is a massive betting favorite at -3000, while Scull is listed at +1300, per DraftKings. According to oddsmakers, however, Scull has a better chance to beat Alvarez than the YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul. BetOnline listed Alvarez at -4000 and Paul +1400 when preliminary talks for a potential bout were made public in February before Alvarez officially linked up with Riyadh Season for a four-fight deal.
“You know, you need to play your cards,” explained Alvarez as to why he entertained a pitting with Paul. “I don't even call it a fight. It's an event for me. But it's not the moment.
“I have an opportunity to get back my [IBF] belt and be a two-time undisputed [super middleweight] champion [against Scull]. Going to Saudi Arabia and fighting there is a lot of motivation for this part of my career, because I have already accomplished everything.”
Manouk Akopyan is a lead writer for The Ring. He can be reached on X and Instagram @ManoukAkopyan.