After Canelo Alvarez’s $100 million, three-fight deal with PBC came to an end last year, the Mexican star had several options on the table for his next move. While he briefly considered Jake Paul for a $150 million deal in February, Canelo Alvarez ultimately passed on that opportunity and, instead, teamed up with Turki Alalshikh. He went on to sign a blockbuster four-fight deal worth $400 million, with the first bout taking place on May 3rd, where he reclaimed the IBF super middleweight title in a unification clash against undefeated Cuban contender William Scull.
Despite securing the win, the performance itself left much to be desired when looking at the numbers. According to CompuBox, Canelo Alvarez threw only 152 punches (the second-fewest by a fighter in a championship bout) while Scull nearly doubled that with 293. Even so, the judges scored the fight 115-113, 116-112, and 119-109 in favor of Alvarez. Though the Venue Riyadh Season saw him walking away with the UD win, the overall pace felt sluggish. Still, regardless of how the fight played out, Canelo Alvarez is believed to have earned the lion’s share of the purse.
Further confirmation came via Instagram yesterday, when @chicanos_worldwide posted the reported earnings for both fighters. The post read, “Canelo Alvarez defeats William Scull by decision — he will earn $80 million, while Scull will earn $3 million ” The figures quickly gained traction online, fueling conversation around the economics of the event.
To put that into perspective, the $80 million payout more than doubles the $35 million Canelo Alvarez earned in 2024 after going a full 12 rounds with Edgar Berlanga. On the flip side, Scull, who had previously earned just $300,000 for his win over Russia’s Vladimir Shishkin, walked away with a career-high payday despite the loss. Looking at the broader picture, if Canelo Alvarez continues to land deals like the one with HE Alalshikh, there’s a strong possibility he could surpass Floyd Mayweather’s reported $400 million net worth.
Still, for many fans, the numbers didn’t match the entertainment value. Seeing Canelo Alvarez bank such a massive sum while delivering a performance that some found underwhelming sparked criticism online. So, what exactly did fans have to say? Let’s take a closer look.
Cherry-picked or not, Canelo Alvarez feels the heat
One fan tried to offer a dose of reality, writing, “Easy check but not his choice all scull did is run and jump around lol .” The sentiment echoed what Canelo Alvarez himself expressed in his post-fight interview with Chris Mannix. When asked about his performance, Canelo admitted, “That’s why I don’t like fighting those kind of guys. They can just survive and go through 12 rounds. And that’s what I don’t like about them.”
Another fan chimed in with a humorous jab at the pace of the fight, writing, “Honestly, the match had some knockout moments – I’m pretty sure I knocked out a few times, and I wasn’t alone .” Considering even Canelo Alvarez acknowledged how dull the bout was, the joke landed with fans who shared the sentiment. As the 63-2, 39 KO boxer put it, “I hope September comes in another kind of fight.” Perhaps a clash with Terence Crawford could flip the script and inject the excitement fans are craving.
Meanwhile, someone else took a broader swipe, posting, “I don’t know what was worse the Ryan Garcia fight or this fight?.” Given Ryan Garcia’s stunning loss to underdog Rolando Romero and the derailment of his rematch plans with Devin Haney, the disappointment in back-to-back high-profile bouts was hard to ignore. Both events promised fireworks, but delivered something closer to a fizzle.
Ultimately, seeing how May 2nd and May 3rd fight failed to give the spectacle, something like what the Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn match of April 26th gave, one user wrote, “DAZN be scamming people with boring fights this week.” Though Naoya Inoue’s May 4th bout with Ramon Cardines offered some redemption, but the criticism still felt warranted.
September 14, 2024, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA: SAUL CANELO ALVAREZ 62-2-2-39KOs of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico defeats EDGAR BERLANGA 22-1-17KOs of Brooklyn, NY by a unanimous decision 118-109, 117-110, 118-109 during PBC on Prime boxing at the T Mobile Arena in Las Vegas Las Vegas USA – ZUMAo117 20240914_zsp_o117_127 Copyright: xMikaelxOnax
Moreover, in a cheeky nod to both Scull and Devin Haney’s cautious styles, one user quipped, “Haney and scull camp together? lol ” The comment is valid. You see, even veteran commentator Jim Lampley from the booth remarked, “If ever there was a fight capable of inducing a nap in Times Square, it would be this one.” Still, Bill Haney insisted his son had done enough against Jose Ramirez, though his opinion was quickly dismissed by Ramirez’s coach, Robert Garcia, who called it out bluntly.
In the end one user summed it up writing, “Canelo picks the Easiest fights .” While that may be a bit harsh, there’s no denying that the optics of a slow-paced fight paired with an $80 million payday opened the door for criticism, regardless of who was to blame for the style clash in the ring.
With that said what’s your verdict on Canelo Alvarez vs. William Scull fight? And do you believe Canelo Alvarez will have his hands raised when he takes on Terence Crawford in September?
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