Canelo Alvarez vs William Scull Betting Tips
Cinco de Mayo weekend is almost upon us and that means we’ve got a Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez fight to look forward to as he takes on William Scull in a unification super-middleweight showdown.
Canelo (62-2-2, 39 KOs) is putting his WBO and WBC titles on the line while Scull (23-0, 9 KOs) is fighting as the IBF champion for the first time after outpointing Vladimir Shishkin to claim a world title last year.
Tip 1 – Fight to go the distance - Yes @ 13/10
Canelo is the overwhelming favourite for this world title fight at 1/25 to win by any method, while Scull is a 15/1 underdog and the draw is 22/1.
Needless to say, anything other than a win for the Mexican legend in Riyadh would register as a huge shock but Scull may be more competitive than the odds suggest.
The Cuban is unbeaten after 23 fights and has never even been knocked down, so he is clearly a durable fighter.
Scull is making the first defence of his IBF title and he won’t want to give that up easily. He has been waiting for this shot at Canelo for some time.
‘El Indomable’ was the mandatory for the IBF belt last year when Canelo was in possession of that title – but he instead decided to vacate and face Edgar Berlanga in September.
Canelo has an incredible 62-2-2 record and 39 of his wins have come via stoppage but he has been a little more measured in his approach in recent years.
The 34-year-old’s last stoppage came against Caleb Plant in 2021 and his last six fights have all gone the distance – including a defeat to Dmitry Bivol – so the judges may well be required this weekend.
Tip 2 – Canelo Alvarez to win by decision @ 29/20
There is a huge gulf in experience between these two fighters as Canelo’s record reads like a who’s who of boxing superstars across various divisions, whereas Scull’s most recent wins over Sean Hemphill and Shiskin, who have a combined record of 32-1, are easily his biggest successes.
As such, Scull is a bit of an unknown quantity. He has passed every test he has faced after all but Canelo’s only losses have come against elite-level opponents and an upset seems almost out of the question here.
The Mexican legend has everything in his locker in terms of attack, defence and movement and he should be far too good for Scull this weekend.
Canelo is 8/15 to win by stoppage but Scull at least looks good enough to reach the final bell and a points win, probably by a wide margin, for the four-weight world champion appeals in the method of victory market.
The Guadalajara native would have been expected to stop Jermell Charlo, who was stepping up in weight, early in September 2023 but that fight lasted the distance.
Canelo also didn’t feel the need to go in for a knockout against the big-hitting Berlanga in his last bout and for many fighters, stopping a KO specialist at the earliest opportunity might have been the preferred option.
He was happy to outbox the Puerto Rican over the full 12 rounds, though, rather than seek a grandstand finish, and he may well take a similar approach against the less powerful Scull.
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Odds correct at time of publication but subject to fluctuation