Boxing Picks 2025- Canelo Alvarez vs William Scull (Saturday 3rd May)

This is the second of three big cards that have been put together over the weekend with some of the very best names in Boxing involved in the different venues that are hosting.

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)

Boxing Picks 2022- Trevor Bryan vs Daniel Dubois (June 11th)

There are moments in any sporting event you may watch where you feel you are seeing something truly special.

Naoya Inoue's crushing victory over Nonito Donaire was one of those moments and The Monster has moved to the top of many pound for pound lists released in the last few days.

It is a win that will hopefully give UK fans the chance to see Inoue in the flesh again with the final Belt between him and Undisputed in the Bantamweight Division being held by Paul Butler from Liverpool. Naoya Inoue would be a monster favourite to win that fight, pardon the pun, and it should be a fight that can be put together pretty easily with promoters in Great Britain likely to be falling over one another to get this one over the line.

However, Japanese and Middle East venues may also step forward to host the Undisputed fight and I do think there is every chance we could see that in September or October before Naoya Inoue looks to move up a Division and challenge himself further.

The Tuesday showing was a weird one, but it did give Naoya Inoue the sole platform to earn the boxing headlines.

On Saturday multiple fighters will be looking to do the same with a number of cards in the United Kingdom and the United States that will be of interest. Some big names are in action, while we could see the continued development of a couple of solid prospects that will be pushing to get into World Title bids within the next twelve to eighteen months.

It will be a busy day of Boxing over several hours and you can read my thoughts below.

Richard Riakporhe vs Fabio Turchi

You have to credit the kind of development the Richard Riakporhe backers have put together for their man and he continues to step up and impress.

He may only have fourteen professional fights under his belt, but Richard Riakporhe has some solid wins in that time and I expect he will have too much for Italian Fabio Turchi who looked to have been exposed in an upset loss to Tommy McCarthy.

The sole defeat suffered by Turchi may have come on a Split Decision, but anyone who watched the fight will have felt that Tommy McCarthy should have been a clear winner. Fabio Turchi looked a little one-paced and he has had three relatively low level wins since that defeat to McCarthy as he looks to rebuild.

Now he has to take on the power of Richard Riakporhe who is just putting some momentum behind a career that had been stalled by injury. At 32 years old, Riakporhe may feel his time is now to make a statement in the Cruiserweight Division and a win in a bout like this one should only improve his Ranking as he gets closer to the top names.

He may have to show some patience in this one against a hardened opponent, but I do think Richard Riakporhe has shown his power can carry in a fight.

I can see him just breaking down Fabio Turchi and wearing him down and Richard Riakporhe may have the power to get him out of there. On the comeback trail, Riakporhe has gone at least Eight Rounds in two of the three fights he has had and I think the British fighter will need to use his boxing to set up the power shots.

This may mean looking for openings as the Rounds tick on and Fabio Turchi tires and I do think Richard Riakporhe is going to be able to land something very big after halfway and that will be the beginning of the end of the Italian fighter. A Stoppage in and around the Championship Rounds would make the statement Richard Riakporhe will be looking for before taking on another step up in class in a few months time.

There are plenty of fights on the undercard of this televised card, but the focus is on Zak Chelli who takes on unbeaten Germaine Brown for the English Super Middleweight Title.

The Londoner has been a touch unfortunate to not have an even stronger record than his 11-1-1 resume and Zak Chelli impressed in his win over Jack Kilgannon in early April. He wants to be more active and I do think Chelli has the toughness and the experience to beat an opponent who is stepping up a level.

Germaine Brown will be confident as an unbeaten fighter would be, while he does have a couple of solid wins behind him. I am just not sure he has the pop to keep Chelli from pressing forward and this is a big opportunity for Zak Chelli to try and get his career moving in a direction he believes he deserves.

We also have another card in the United Kingdom on the same night and that one in Telford is headed by the main event of Marc Leach versus Liam Davies.

That should be a good one, but the sole selection I have from that card is backing a returning Willy Hutchinson to record an early win.

An upset loss to Lennox Clarke in March 2021 was a major setback for the Scot and he has not fought since then, but returns on the undercard in Telford and I expect him to make short work of Karel Horejsek.

This is a fighter that hits hard very early on and Karek Horejsek may not have the durability at 40 years old as he once did. He has only been stopped twice in thirteen losses, but Willy Hutchinson will want to remove any negative memories of his last appearance in the ring as soon as possible and could close the show before we reach halfway in a scheduled Eight Rounder.

Trevor Bryan vs Daniel Dubois

Forget the WBA 'World Title' that these two are fighting for and instead focus on the fact that the winner could be in line to be the first contender to face either Anthony Joshua or Oleksandr Usyk depending on the outcome of the rematch that is rumoured to be taking place in August.

I have been pretty high on Daniel Dubois and I am not going to be too harsh on him for the loss to Joe Joyce. He looked like he could have won that fight on the cards if not for a devastating orbital bone injury, but Dubois has bounced back pretty effectively since then.

Daniel Dubois has needed a total of Three Rounds to win his last two fights since the defeat to Joe Joyce and he is a huge favourite to beat Trevor Bryan on his home soil.

Trevor Bryan picked up this WBA 'Title' by beating Bermane Stiverne after Manuel Charr had been stripped of the Belt. He needed Eleven Rounds to beat Stiverne and then won a Split Decision over Jonathan Guidry, but this feels another step up and I do think Trevor Bryan has the same kind of feeling as Charles Martin did before his fight with Anthony Joshua.

The American is saying all the right things, but he has largely been inactive in recent years and Trevor Bryan will have to deal with a power he has simply not had to face before.

I don't think Bryan will have the movement to get away from Daniel Dubois and one of the more vicious punchers coming up has regularly blown through opponents very early. This feels like it could go the same way and I will back Daniel Dubois to bring this Belt back to Britain before chasing bigger fights.

He could potentially get this done very early too and I will back Dubois to make this a good nights work.

We have a couple of other cards in the United States that will be starting a little while after the Daniel Dubois bid to win a Title has concluded.

It isn't that long ago that Jaime Munguia would have been the star name of any night, but recent bouts have been underwhelming. The continued decisions to avoid taking an Eliminator for a World Title fight is confusing to say the least, while he has now decided to take this fight at Super Middleweight.

His power continues to be a factor even when moving up in weight, but it is hard to really judge Munguia when he continues to face overmatched opponents.

Next up is Jimmy Kelly who has lost his biggest fights against Liam Smith and Dennis Hogan, two opponents that Jaime Munguia did beat.

Jimmy Kelly showed enough resistance to believe he can give Jaime Munguia some Rounds, but the power of the latter should break that resistance at some point in the middle of this bout.

Getting through the early Rounds will be challenging, but I think Kelly can just about hang on before it all gets a bit too much and Jaime Munguia is able to stop another overmatched opponent.

On the undercard, Oscar Jurado can continue his streak of stoppages since his sole defeat.

He is facing an opponent who was stopped in Three Rounds and who has lost three of his five defeats inside the distance. Another early night could be on the cards for Jurado.

Finally we have Edgar Berlanga back in the ring as he main events again.

There have been some serious criticisms of Berlanga since his Knock Out streak ended and his last three fights have all gone the distance. The power is real, but Edgar Berlanga has struggled when opponents have offered up some resistance and I expect that from Alexis Angulo.

The Colombian completed Ten Rounds against David Benavidez before being pulled out, and Angulo also went the full Twelve Rounds with Gilberto Ramirez.

He should be able to show enough veteran experience to get to the cards in this one, which is scheduled for Ten Rounds, and I do think Angulo will stand in front of Edgar Berlanga to at least give the younger fighter a chance to at least flash some talent in a clear win.

Edgar Berlanga has been more active than Alexis Angulo and that can also help, but he may have to wait a little longer before he can get back to winning fights the early way.

MY PICKS: Richard Riakporhe to Win Between 7-12 @ 3.25 Sky Bet (2 Units)

Zak Chelli to Win @ 1.91 William Hill (2 Units)

Willy Hutchinson to Win Between 1-4 @ 2.50 Sky Bet (2 Units)

Daniel Dubois to Win Between 1-3 @ 2.40 Bet365 (2 Units)

Jaime Munguia to Win Between 4-6 @ 2.62 Sky Bet (2 Units)

Oscar Jurado to Win Between 1-5 @ 2.10 Sky Bet (2 Units)

Edgar Berlanga to Win by Decision/Technical Decision @ 2.50 Bet365 (2 Units)

Boxing 2022 Update: 20-33, + 15.80 Units (95 Units Staked, + 16.63% Yield)

Boxing Picks 2018- Canelo Alvarez vs Gennady Golovkin (September 15th)

It is almost exactly one year to the day since the controversial scorecards were read out in the first Canelo Alvarez vs Gennady Golovkin bout and much has happened in the last twelve months to increase the intensity around this rematch.

Last year there was a lot of respect between the two teams, but that went out of the window the minute Alvarez was suspended for a positive drug test and now all eyes will turn to Las Vegas for this card.

The undercard is a decent looking one too with a couple of big names in action and a real fifty-fifty looking fight at the same weight as the main event with the winner likely next in line for a shot at whoever comes out as King of the Middleweights.

Roman Gonzalez vs Moises Fuentes

This feels like a crossroads fight between Roman Gonzalez and Moises Fuentes as both players come off a loss and look to return to be a major player in a tough Division.

The back to back defeats Gonzalez suffered to Sor Rungvisai snapped his unbeaten run and dropped Chocolatito from the pound for pound ranks. The manner of the second defeat, after the controversy of the first, has people wondering if Gonzalez has slipped off his peak after some of the fine wins and wars he has been involved in.

It is a big question mark for any fighter whether it was just a bad opponent or whether Gonzalez is not the fighter he once was, but this looks a good match up for him.

Moises Fuentes has lost three of his last four fights and looks to be a fighter on the way towards the end of his career. Of course Fuentes will realise this may be his last chance at being involved in the big fights in the back end of his own career which means both fighters will put it all on the line.

I do think Gonzalez may just have run into an elite fighter and I think there is still something left in the tank. There are the question marks of a new trainer and adjustments Gonzalez would have made to his training camps, but I think he is the better fighter and I think there will be more in the tank.

Fuentes has been stopped relatively early in his two losses, but I think Gonzalez may just take some time to warm up having been out of the ring for over a year. Eventually I am looking for Chocolatito to break down Fuentes and I will back him to find the stoppage in the second half of this Ten Rounder.

Jaime Munguia vs Brandon Cook

Things could have been very different in 2018 for Jaime Munguia if he had been given the clearance to fight Gennady Golovkin back in May when he was a relative unknown with a strong unbeaten record.

Munguia was able to step into a better situation by facing Sadam Ali in a Light-Middleweight Title fight instead of moving up to face Golovkin. The Mexican impressed with his destruction of the Champion and he has already made one defence of his Title before being handed a spot on the undercard of the biggest fight of the year with Munguia showing the size to think he will eventually make the move to Middleweight and potentially be a challenger to the winner of the Canelo-GGG rematch.

The second defence of his WBO Title comes against Brandon Cook who should have been fighting Kell Brook in July before an injury meant Brook had to pull out of that bout in London. Cook looked to be wasting his training camp as a fight struggled to materialise before being given this opportunity.

As the feeling was when the Brook fight was arranged, this feels a big step up for Cook and he is going to be facing some considerable power. I have little doubt that Munguia still has plenty to learn at 21 years old, as he showed in the fight with Liam Smith, but he has plenty of power and looks like he will be considerably bigger than Cook.

This is almost a 'coming out' party for Munguia who will want to put on a strong display and I think he stops Cook in stunning fashion during the first half of the fight.

David Lemieux vs Gary O'Sullivan

The main event in Las Vegas is clearly an exceptional fight, but the undercard of the event is a good one with this fight between two Middleweights looking like it could set up the winner for a big Title fight perhaps as soon as at the end of the year.

Both David Lemieux and Gary O'Sullivan have very little time for one another and the build up has been fun this week with O'Sullivan taking plenty of the headlines for his comments.

He has rebuilt after a stoppage defeat to Chris Eubank Jr and his win over Antoine Douglas really helped make O'Sullivan's name in America. O'Sullivan has only been dealing in stoppages since March 2017 and I do think he is going to come here to fight.

Like David Lemieux, O'Sullivan had a wide points defeat to Billy Joe Saunders in his career too but the Irishman thinks he is on the way up and Lemieux is on the way down in what could be a crossroads fight.

I do think Lemieux has not been the same fighter since his Eighth Round defeat to Gennady Golovkin although Curtis Stevens may say otherwise in that stunning KO that was delivered to him. However for the most part his fights have been much tougher these days and Lemieux has also had some issues making weight which suggests he could be ripe for the beating here.

My issue is that O'Sullivan is likely going to try and trade with Lemieux and that may play into the hands of the Canadian. Both men have showed they have power to stop opponents, but this is a pretty big step up for O'Sullivan and I think there is going to be a stoppage in this one.

I think O'Sullivan has a deep tank which makes him dangerous, but he was stopped by Eubank Jr and I think Lemieux may hit harder. If O'Sullivan stands and trades I think that power tells and the Canadian may just get the better of a fighter that looks to have been matched up very well since his last defeat.

Canelo Alvarez vs Gennady Golovkin

The rematch that is one year in the making is finally here.

In reality that is the fault of Canelo Alvarez who failed two drug tests and has completed a suspension since the controversial draw with Gennady Golovkin almost a year to the day.

First things first- I am not sure whether Canelo has regularly been cycling off the PEDs or whether his 'tainted meat' excuse is correct. It was naive to say the very least with the issues in Mexico meat that have been well known for a number of years, but I can't say for sure that I think he has been cheating.

Last year I picked Golovkin to win the fight, but when scoring live I actually finished with a 114-114 card and said there was one Round I really felt could have been a swing Round where I could have gone either way. That was a Round I could have given to Golovkin but slightly leaned to Canelo when I scored it and so the draw wasn't the big controversy for me.

Instead it was the horrible 118-110 card Adelaide Byrd put together, but if the score had been 115-113 each way and a 114-114 I don't think there would have been the same controversy attached.

From the day the rematch was arranged I felt Canelo Alvarez would edge out Gennady Golovkin in another close fight as GGG would have been that much older and the experience of the first fight would put Canelo in a good place. The drug suspension does raise some doubts about Canelo and make me wonder if anything he produced in the first fight was with the aid of something else rather than boxing skills and strength of character.

Add in the year Canelo has been out of the ring and I can see why GGG is the favourite and I respect that.

However I do think the year off could have done Canelo some good after a tough run and I do think he will be working a little harder earlier in the fight to steal a few close Rounds. If Canelo stands there and trades I don't think it will work for him, but I do think he will be more willing to throw on the move now he has felt the power that Golovkin will bring to the table.

That could be enough to sway those close Rounds and I am going to have a small interest on Canelo winning this one on a Decision.

Personally I would like GGG to win the fight and secure his legacy, but Canelo is younger, fresher and now knows what the power feels like. Canelo has plenty on the line here as he bids to prove that he wasn't cheating like the Golovkin camp have continued to insist, but I think the Mexican can show off the better boxing skills as long as he isn't so angry as to be drawn into a war.

The money is beginning to come in on the favourite, but I will look for the underdog to win a tight Decision.

MY PICKS: Roman Gonzalez Between 6-10 @ 3.20 Ladbrokes (1 Unit)
Jaime Munguia Between 1-6 @ 2.10 Ladbrokes (2 Units)
David Lemieux to Win By KO, TKO or Disqualification @ 1.95 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Canelo Alvarez to Win By Decision/Technical Decision @ 3.25 Paddy Power (1 Unit)

Boxing 2018: 22-44, + 3.65 Units (101 Units Staked, + 3.61% Yield)