Key Takeaways from Canelo Alvarez's Win Against William Scull: 5 Discussion Points trucc

CANELO Alvarez produced a performance against William Scull that has kept fans questioning whether he is, in fact, over the hill.

Last night, the super-middleweight king reclaimed his undisputed crown in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, after securing his sixth unanimous decision victory on the bounce.

With it being just under three years since his defeat to Dmitry Bivol, the 34-year-old has only lived up to the majority of fans’ expectations.

But at the same time, several questions regarding his future in the sport remain unanswered, with a lack of explosiveness in each display raising doubts over his elite pound-for-pound status.

Here, Boxing News takes a closer look at such concerns, while also diving into the undercard highlights.

Badou Jack keeps rolling back the years

At the age of 41, not to mention his two-year layoff, Badou Jack somehow still manages to resume his position at world level.

Against late replacement Noel Mikaelian – who remains a solid operator, too – ‘The Ripper’ retained his WBC world cruiserweight title with a majority decision victory.

And while it was far from his most polished display, Jack, 29-3-3 (17 KOs), is nonetheless close to trampling all over Father Time’s unblemished record.

Of course, both Jai Opetaia and Gilberto Ramirez – the two remaining champions at 200lbs – would be sizable favourites against him.

But even so, Jack’s remarkable longevity, for however long it lasts, is something that should most definitely be celebrated.

Efe Ajagba deserved to outpoint Martin Bakole

Two scorecards of 95-95 offered far from a true reflection of what looked, almost certainly, to be a comfortable points victory for Efe Ajagba.

His greater activity was one thing, but the Nigerian’s more fluid footwork and thudding right hand created an even more compelling argument for his win.

As for Bakole, 21-2-1 (16 KOs), the Congolese puncher hit the scales at 299lbs and, as a result, could do little more than plod around the ring through large spells of their encounter.

And so, the fact that he still walked away with a draw remains something of a mystery, with Ajagba, 20-1-1 (14 KOs), rightfully feeling aggrieved at the result.

Jaime Munguia restores super-middleweight contender status

Jaime Munguia bounced back from his stunning sixth-round stoppage defeat of last December with a vastly improved performance, exacting his revenge on Bruno Surace.

Now training under the tutelage of Eddy Reynoso, the Mexican has, based largely on his unanimous decision victory, added several new strings to his bow.

Instead of relying on his gas tank and volume, the 28-year-old adopted a more measured approach to build a strong lead, round by round, while remaining defensively responsible against Surace, 26-1-2 (5 KOs).

In doing so, Munguia, 45-2 (35 KOs), has restored his place as a top contender at 168lbs, with previous doubts over his world-level credentials appearing to fade away.

Canelo Alvarez fails to rediscover tenacity

The fact that Scull, 23-1 (9 KOs), decided to replicate his marathon training is neither here nor there. What matters most of all is that Canelo, 63-2-2 (39 KOs), either by design or due to his natural regression, was unable to go through the gears.

A previous version of the Mexican would have likely ended proceedings in emphatic fashion, regardless of Scull’s lack of a desire to engage.

But instead, Canelo did just enough to outpoint the passive mover in order to set up his next lucrative payday, against fellow four-division world champion Terence Crawford, on September 12.

Terence Crawford remains confident ahead of September clash

With Canelo and Scull throwing the joint fewest number of shots in a 12-round contest, according to CompuBox stats, Crawford, 41-0 (31 KOs), will surely be licking his lips ahead of their clash later this year.

There is no denying that the 37-year-old, a natural welterweight whose last outing was fought at 154lbs, must contend with a terrific size disadvantage.

However, with his greater speed and punch output, the American will nonetheless enter their blockbuster showdown with a palpable degree of confidence.

Fans who were previously favouring Canelo may also change their minds, with the underdog trope attached to Crawford becoming less convincing.