Canelo vs Scull: Former world champions make their predictions for undisputed title fight

Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez will make his bid to become a two-time undisputed super middleweight champion on May 3 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - taking on the IBF champion William Scull live on DAZN PPV .

What have some of boxing's most respected voices been saying about this fight in the build-up?

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Former world champions and world-class trainers have had their say – but do they think it will be another Canelo masterclass or is Scull being overlooked as a serious competitor? 

Roy Jones Jr

Roy Jones Jr appeared on the Ring Champs podcast and made his predictions for the undisputed clash this weekend. 

The former four-weight world champion foresaw that Scull, if he stays true to his Cuban heritage, could pose a threat to Canelo.

• Read next | Canelo Alvarez's future British opponents and possible UK venues

“We don’t expect this guy to beat Canelo,” Jones Jr explained.

“[But] who were the only two people to give Canelo a really hard time – Floyd Mayweather [Jr] who was a supreme boxer and Erislandy Lara who is a Cuban extreme boxer.

"[Cubans] are mindful boxers, usually have very good feet and both caused Canelo the most problems in his career. If this guy has any boxing IQ and he has any kind of feet - this could be a rough night for Canelo, but if he doesn’t then Canelo should walk through him” 

George Groves

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The former WBA super middleweight champion and one half of the legendary Froch-Groves rivalry did not see Scull as any competition for Alvarez. He cast him aside as a stepping stone for Canelo to reach a super fight with Terence Crawford and believed there were no fighters at super middleweight who could lay a glove on the Mexican.

“You go against Canelo at your peril,” Groves told CasinoBeats.

“Because he’s been so dominant at super middleweight over the years. I can’t see Crawford putting a dent in him. Obviously, he’s got to get past Scull first, but I don’t think he’ll struggle to win that fight. But at super middleweight, I haven’t seen anyone of late who I think is going to give him a run for his money.”

Teddy Atlas

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Teddy Atlas is a well-known boxing trainer, most recognised for his work assisting Hall of Fame trainer Cus D’Amato in developing a young Mike Tyson and guiding Michael Moorer to the world heavyweight championship in 1994. 

Since retiring as a trainer, he has been an active voice in the boxing world and has weighed in on Canelo-Scull, believing that Canelo will win in whichever way he sees fit.

“Unless Canelo is mentally off,” Atlas explained on his YouTube channel The Fight with Teddy Atlas. “I think this is the kind of night where he can write his own story and his own ending to the story. It’s up to Canelo completely. I see what can be a very handy, if not easy win for Canelo.”

Juan Manuel Marquez

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As a compatriot to Canelo, it is unsurprising that Juan Manuel Marquez should show strong support for the unified super-middleweight champion. This is exactly what the former four-weight world champion did when asked about Scull’s chances in the fight. 

Marquez dismissed Scull. 

“William Scull is nobody," Marquez told ES NEWS. "He is nobody in the sport of boxing – He’s the IBF champion but do you know William Scull? I don’t know William Scull.” 

Watch two incredible fight nights this week only on DAZN

DAZN

Fight fans are in for a treat this week, with two amazing fight exclusively  DAZN PPV.

• May 2:  Ryan Garcia vs Rolly Romero; Devin Haney vs Jose Ramirez; Teofimo Lopez vs Arnold Barboza Jr.
• May 3:  Canelo Alvarez vs William Scull

Fight fans can purchase either these fight nights individually for  $59.99 US; £/€21.99 UK/IRE; $24.99 ROW per PPV or take advantage of the DAZN Knockout Weekend Bundle where both fight cards can be purchased for  $90 US; £34.99 UK and €34.99 Europe .