On Saturday the eyes of the Boxing world shift from the unique event in Times Square, New York City to Riyadh where Canelo Alvarez headlines.
The fight will actually start very early in the morning on Sunday local time (reportedly around 6am) and that is to make sure that Canelo's fans back in Mexico and the United States are watching at a more regular viewing hour.
As has become the norm, a decent undercard has been put together and it should be another solid event before attention shifts to Las Vegas on Sunday and the card headlined by Naoya Inoue.
Big fights have reportedly been signed off by the pound for pound stars, but they have to make sure they avoid upsets this weekend before those fights can be made official.
Canelo Alvarez vs William Scull
Several months ago, Canelo Alvarez dropped the IBF World Title rather than be forced into a defence against William Scull as he searched for bigger paydays.
He continued to hold the other three World Titles in the Super Middleweight Division and continues to reign as King in this Division, even if one Belt has been dropped and the WBA have created yet another Interim World Champion in Caleb Plant.
That isn't something of concern for Canelo having beaten Plant previously and the Saudi backers have finally convinced him to head over to Riyadh for a bout.
They have also been keen to match Canelo Alvarez with Terence Crawford and the Mexican's resistance to having that bout has disappeared. One of the most open secrets in Boxing is that Canelo and Bud are set to meet in September as long as Alvarez can get through this Undisputed contest against William Scull.
Holding all of the Super Middleweight World Titles going into that contest with Bud only adds to what many are anticipating to be a Super Fight.
Canelo Alvarez is a considerable favourite to beat William Scull, a Cuban-born Boxer fighting out of Germany who remains unbeaten and who won the IBF World Title in what was a controversial Decision according to many observers.
The background has to be noted, but William Scull has not really passed the 'eye test' and that is an issue for him as he steps up several levels to face someone of the quality of Canelo Alvarez. There is almost nothing on the resume to suggest Scull is much more than an opponent that can help Canelo Alvarez impress before the potential announcement to face Terence Crawford is made.
A bigger question is whether Canelo Alvarez can end a six fight run and a four and a half year run since his last Stoppage win?
There is nothing wrong with the Canelo power in this weight class having put down each of his last four opponents and all before the bell for the Eighth Round has sounded. This has led to some negativity from opponents who would rather hear the final bell than take a risk to try and beat Canelo Alvarez, while the 34 year old Mexican with sixty-six professional fights under his belt has not really been too fussed about going through the gears to try and earn those Stoppages.
His output is not what it once was and that can make it tougher for those Stoppages to come, but William Scull has shown enough vulnerability to worry about him getting to the final bell without trying to mess up the contest.
The Canelo body work is expected to be key and William Scull is someone who might not be as slick as some of his compatriots, which should make it easier for the favourite to find a home for his big shots. There were moments in his last fight when William Scull was struggling and this not a fighter that has had a lot of experience fighting beyond the Eighth Round.
This one may not go much further than that and Canelo can make the difference in level count in this one, even if he has not pushed through the gears to make a statement in recent bouts. It has been partly down to the opponent being capable of getting through the tough moments, but Scull has shown he can be hurt and leaving his body open to be attacked is likely going to lead to a first Canelo Stoppage since 2021 and somewhere around the middle of the Twelve Rounds scheduled.
The undercard features a big Heavyweight contest between two fighters representing African nations who are now looking to move into the conversation with the elite in the Division.
Martin Bakole was certainly on a trajectory to the very top of the Division and him and his trainer were keen to point out how avoided the fighter had been. A big win over Jared Anderson pushed his credentials forward, and Bakole was set to fight in an eliminator to become the mandatory contender in the IBF Rankings.
All of that changed when Daniel Dubois fell ill just prior to his fight with Joseph Parker earlier in the year and Martin Bakole was happy to take two day notice, and a huge amount of cash, to fill in for the IBF World Champion.
This meant being pulled out of the IBF Rankings and Martin Bakole was Stopped int the Second Round and some of the aura around him has dissipated.
He can remind people of how much better he can be with a full training camp, although the weight was much higher than most anticipated- he weighs just 11 pounds less than when losing to Joseph Parker having only just left the couch and Martin Bakole is effectively a stone and a half heavier than when crushing Jared Anderson.
In saying that, he has fought at this weight pretty recently in the win over Carlos Takam and so Martin Bakole will struggle to make excuses if he was to lose. This may also mean Bakole is once again on the outside looking in and it is a pressurised spot for him.
Efe Ajagba once had a pretty good reputation as he was making his way up the World Rankings, but a loss to Frank Sanchez slowed things down and he was a fortunate Split Decision winner over Guido Vianello thirteen months ago. The Italian has been beaten much more effectively by Richard Torrez Jr since that performance and there are questions about Ajagba, which will be answered in this crossroads fight.
Both had plenty to say to one another in the last presser this week and it would be a surprise if it is hard to find the other in the ring.
Ultimately it feels like this will develop into something of a shoot out between the two fighters and the expectation is that Martin Bakole has the heavier hands. His Nigerian opponent has shown he can box through the Rounds, but keeping Bakole contained may be asking too much and it is the 'boogeyman' of the Division who can come through before the halfway mark of the contest is reached.
We know Martin Bakole is looking for some redemption after his last performance, but Jaime Munguia will be more desperate after a shocking loss to Bruno Surace.
It was supposed to be a homecoming event for Munguia in December and he put an early marker down when putting Bruno Surace down in the Second Round. Jaime Munguia had lost to Canelo Alvarez earlier in the year, but had lasted the distance and while fighting an unbeaten opponent, Bruno Surace's lack of Stoppages on his resume perhaps gave the Mexican too much belief.
A Second Round Knock Down was supposed to be lead to a pretty early night in the office, but Jaime Munguia was stunned in the Sixth when Stopped for the first time.
The rematch takes place in Riyadh and you do have to believe there is a lot of pressure on Munguia to right what went wrong in Tijuana.
Credit has to be given to Bruno Surace for taking the rematch, especially after such an upset that would have opened up plenty of doors of opportunity. The upset was truly stunning as there had been nothing on his resume to suggest the Frenchman was capable of that and making lightning strike twice may be asking too much.
This time you have to think Jaime Munguia will be a bit more respectful of what this opponent is capable of doing and that means being patient and not reckless. He has been a fighter who can carry power and Munguia may look to just go through the gears on his way to a return win, rather than looking to make such a statement to want to finish this fight in double-quick time.
Earning redemption will get Jaime Munguia back on track and ready to take on some big fights and he can power through in the second half of this contest.
The WBC World Cruiserweight Title is also being defended on the card when Badou Jack faces Norair Mikaeljan, but it feels strange that neither has been in the ring since November 2023.
That was when Mikaeljan won a vacant version of this Belt, but Badou Jack had won that same title months earlier and has remained the WBC Champion even after being inactive for over two years.
It is simply not a good look for the WBC and the hope is that the winner will be forced to face either one of the other two World Champions in the Division. Rumours suggest Gilberto Ramirez and Jai Opetaia are on a collision course for later in the year, but the winner of this one should have a mandatory to clear and fighters like Chris Billam-Smith might be able to step in and take on the Champion for this World Title.
Picking a winner is not easy- both are older fighters now and the inactivity of Jack and Mikaeljan makes it very difficult to know what to expect when they enter the ring. It may literally come down to who has enough in the tank to stay on their feet before the other fighter falls and the layers are also finding it difficult to split the two.
MY PICKS: Canelo Alvarez to Win Between 5-8 @ 4.00 William Hill (1 Unit)
Martin Bakole to Win Between 1-5 @ 4.33 Sky Bet (1 Unit)
Jaime Munguia to Win Between 6-10 @ 3.25 Sky Bet (1 Unit)
Boxing 2025: 16-42, - 21.90 Units (71 Units Staked, - 30.85% Yield)
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