Saul “Canelo” Alvarez has re-unified the IBF super middleweight championship with his WBA (Super), WBC and WBO belts with a unanimous decision victory over William Scull, setting up a bout with former welterweight champion Terence Crawford in September.

Cuba’s Scull, who had an advantage in height and reach over Alvarez, was unable to find an answer to the Mexican’s methodical stalking and effective body blows as he suffered the first loss of his professional boxing career on Sunday.

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“For me, it’s a boring fight. [Scull was] not trying to win, just trying to survive. I hate these kinds of fights,” Alvarez said in his post-fight interview after all three judges awarded him the victory (115-113, 116-112, 119-109).

Alvarez, who was stripped of the IBF strap last year after choosing to fight Edgar Berlanga over the sanctioning body’s number-one contender Scull, has now become the undisputed 168-pound champion for the second time.

Scull’s quick movements were not enough to evade Alvarez’s steady onslaught early on as the Mexican landed strong body blows in the second and fourth rounds, leaving Scull momentarily off balance.

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Alvarez, fighting outside the United States and Mexico for the first time, continued stalking the Cuban in the fifth round, but Scull fought back, breaking Alvarez’s guard with a right uppercut and pushing him back before catching him with a counter.

“Don’t let this guy get bigger and more confident,” Alvarez’s corner warned him at the end of the sixth round after Scull caught him with another right hand before Alvarez responded with body shots.

Alvarez landed combinations to the body in the seventh round, and caught Scull with a lead left hook near the ropes in the eighth.

Measured attacks to the body continued from Alvarez, as he landed 40 body blows in the bout while Scull managed only six, claiming the 63rd win of his professional career.

Alvarez, 34, improved to 63-2-2 with 39 knockouts after doing enough on his Saudi debut which continued his tradition of fighting during the Mexican festival weekend of Cinco de Mayo.

The Mexican said he was looking forward to returning to the ring against undefeated Crawford in Las Vegas.

“Crawford is one of the best out there, I like to share the ring with that kind of a fighter. It’s my pleasure,” he said.

American Crawford, who became the undisputed welterweight champion with a knockout win over Errol Spence Jr in 2023, said he was ready to take on Alvarez as they faced off in the ring.

“In September, I’ll show the world what greatness looks like,” Crawford said.

Alvarez signed a four-fight deal with Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Seasons promotion in February.

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In recent years, the kingdom has been pouring money into boxing events as part of Saudi Arabia’s oil-funded thrust into the sporting world, which has drawn accusations of “sportswashing” its dire human rights record.

Along with Formula One, the LIV Golf tour and attracting several ageing football stars to its domestic league, Saudi Arabia was named last year as the host of the 2034 football World Cup.