In a fight that proves it’s the matchup and not the titles that generates anticipation, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez takes on Cuba’s William Scull in a super middleweight encounter for all four sanctioning body belts tonight at The Venue Riyadh in Saudi Arabia.

Canelo is widely regarded as both the most famous and marketable fighter on the planet but this contest with Scull, the IBF beltholder at 168lbs, is already in danger of slipping so far below the radar that barely anyone notices it.

The bout, which marks the Mexican superstar’s first in a four-fight deal with Turki Alalshikh, is noteworthy only for that pesky ‘undisputed’ tag, one that Alvarez gave up without a care in the world when he deemed then-IBF mandatory Scull unworthy of a fight last year. 

Money talks, however, and with Alvarez supposedly considering a lucrative showpiece with Jake Paul, Alalshikh swooped in to present Alvarez with a contract guaranteeing even more cash. Presuming the 34-year-old defeats Scull – and he’s a 1/40 favorite to do so – he will be matched with Terence Crawford in an altogether more alluring spectacle in September.

The best laid plans don’t always work out, however. Take Friday night’s event in Times Square as a topical example; Ryan Garcia, fresh off a drug ban, lost to Rolando Romero and stifled the life out of a rematch with Devin Haney in the process. In the end it proved again that constructing silly fights for silly titles purely to build anticipation in future fights is a risky game to play.

Scull, however, is not the live underdog that Romero was. The 32-year-old predominantly built his glossy 23-0 (9 KOs) in Germany, where he’s based, yet there is barely a recognizable name upon it. He won the vacant IBF title with a disputed unanimous points victory over Vladimir Shishkin and it’s that belt which is the lone reason he finds himself up against Alvarez. If there’s been a four-belt unification contest less appealing than this one, it’s difficult to identify it.

Alvarez, 62-2-2 (39 KOs), looks levels above the slick but limited Scull. We could point to him being complacent or getting old overnight while trying to make a case for Scull but, even if both become apparent, he should still have enough to win this one as comfortably as he’s won every bout since the 2022 loss to Dmitry Bivol. 

Perhaps the biggest question surrounding this contest is whether Scull turns out to be so overmatched that we see Canelo’s first stoppage victory since 2021? It’s certainly a possibility, yet the feeling – one ingrained from getting so used to seeing Alvarez coast to 12-round decision wins – is that this will be a lopsided points victory.

The undercard, thankfully, is better.

Jaime Munguia, one of Canelo’s livelier challengers in recent years, was upset by Bruno Surace in December and he gets the chance for revenge in Saudi. He’s a good bet to do so but Surace, 26-0-2 (5 KOs), will have been buoyed by his stunning knockout win. Thankfully for Munguia, he can likely remember nothing about that moment, such was the level of discombobulation he experienced. 

Munguia is the pick to win on points.

At heavyweight, Martin Bakole, 21-2 (16 KOs), takes on Efe Ajagba, 20-1 (14 KOs), with significantly more preparation time under his belt than the 24 hours he had for Joseph Parker in February. Even though he lost that one in two rounds and proved to all future rivals he can be knocked out, Bakole gleefully brushed off the disappointment with the bounty he made and should win this one inside schedule.

In a fourth 12-rounder, WBC cruiserweight champion Badou Jack, 28-3-3 (17 KOs), ends a long hiatus to take on the equally inactive Norair Mikaeljan, 27-2 (12 KOs). Due to recent form being non-existent, making a prediction on this one would be pure guesswork.