After a period of time where things appeared to be uncertain, it looks like Canelo Álvarez does have his plan laid out for Riyadh Season after all.
With a fight against Terence Crawford seemingly on the horizon for later this year, the WBA/WBC/WBO super middleweight champion will defend his titles against William Scull on May 3 in Saudi Arabia.
This will mark the first time Álvarez is not in either Las Vegas or Mexico for a fight during Cinco de Mayo weekend since a bout in Texas in 2015 — with the exception of his suspension during 2018.
There seemed to be a time, however, where in spite of plenty of reports announcing a deal between Álvarez and Crawford was being finalized, Álvarez looked to be switching plans to a May encounter with YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul.
In a span of hours, Canelo went from finalizing a deal with Crawford, to finalizing with Paul, to going back to Crawford and finalizing plans to face Scull prior to that.
Canelo To Face William Scull In May, Prior To Facing Terence Crawford
Paul has been vocal in the aftermath of the news, verbally attacking Canelo and claiming the Mexican boxing legend has done nothing for the sport.
Álvarez last fought in September, retaining his championships in a decision over Edgar Berlanga.
Paul, meanwhile, defeated Mike Tyson in an eight-round bout in November that was broadcasted on Netflix. The streaming platform would also have broadcasted a bout between him and Álvarez.
Crawford has not been seen since his lackluster decision win over Israil Madrimov to win the WBA and vacant WBO interim light middleweight titles. A fight with Álvarez would reportedly be at 168 pounds.
