Canelo Alvarez Talks Saudi Arabia, His Power, And Waking Up So Early To Fight

Only three days before his fight against a relatively unknown opponent in an unfamiliar setting in a completely different time zone and in front of a crowd that won’t be filled with his raucous fans, Canelo Alvarez said he is embracing everything that is set to occur this weekend. All of the unfamiliarity is something he’s wanted for such a long time.

Yes, he’s fought for eight of the past 10 years in the days surrounding Cinco De Mayo. Alvarez fighting on one of Mexico’s xx is an annual event that brings in tens of thousands of his fans to Las Vegas or Texas. It’s become a Canelo tradition.

But it won’t happen this year, because Alvarez signed a four-fight deal with Riyadh Season and Turki Alalshikh, and his first assignment is to face William Scull (7pm ET on DAZN for $59.99) in a Saudi Arabian environment unlike anything Alvarez has experienced.

Scull owns one of the 168-pound belts that was stripped from Alvarez when Alvarez failed to defend it against Scull last year. Alvarez (62-2-2, 39 KOs) has the other three titles. A win vs. Scull (23-0, 9 KOs) — and Alvarez, at -3300, is a massive betting favorite to do so — and he’ll be the undisputed super middleweight champion again.

He’s very familiar with fighting on this weekend, and he’s certainly used to competing for world championships. But this year, he’ll be doing both on completely unfamiliar territory.

“This is something new, but for me, it’s a dream come true,” Alvarez told me this week. “I always wanted to fight outside the US and Mexico. Now, I’m about to do it. It’s new. But I’m a fighter. I can adapt myself for it. I’m going to miss the mariachis and the Mexican fans and all their screams. I’m going to bring Mexico to Saudi Arabia. I feel proud about that.”

When we talked, it was mid-morning in the US, but to Alvarez’s body, it was already approaching the end of the work day. Saudi Arabia is seven hours ahead of East Coast time, and though a number of these Riyadh Season boxing cards take place in prime time in the Middle East, meaning US viewers can watch it live in the afternoon, Alvarez wanted to take a different approach.

He made sure a clause was included in the contact with Scull that would allow Alvarez’s fans to watch the bout as if it were a normal Saturday night in front of the TV watching the fights. The caveat? Alvarez and Scull are going to face off at about 6am Sunday local time.

It’s certainly going to be an unusual feeling for Alvarez and Scull to step into the ring that early. That’s why Alvarez traveled to Saudi Arabia three weeks ago to get adjusted to the time change and everything that comes with preparing in a different country, climate and culture. He’s been going to bed at about 5pm and waking up at 3am to begin his day.

It sounds a little brutal, but this is the path Alvarez wants to take. He’s a bonafide first-ballot Hall of Famer, and he’s accomplished just about everything he could possibly want in this sport. He’s one of the greatest Mexican boxers in history. He’s been an undisputed champion. He’s made tens of millions of dollars.

He said he’s still motivated to continue fighting, and best of all, he’s the one who’s completely in charge of his career. After his ugly breakup with his long-time promoter, Golden Boy, in 2020, Alvarez has decided for himself which promoters with whom to work, for how long he wants to work with them, who he wants to fight, and on which network or streaming service he wants to perform.

Alvarez has real power in this sport, the kind that’s almost unheard of for a modern-day boxer.

Alvarez said he knew in 2019 that he was ready to strike out on his own, but he had signed an 11-fight deal with DAZN the previous year for $365 million. Eventually, he sued Golden Boy and split with the Oscar De La Hoya-led promotional outfit in a nasty war of words.

Ever since, Alvarez had guided his career the way he’s wanted.

“When I was 19, I realized I could do all that,” Alvarez said. “Then, I went with Golden Boy for many years. We split, and I do my thing and not sign with anybody. I work with every promoter, and I feel great about it. I realize it’s a better thing.”

Others in the sport, with varying levels of success, have tried to steer their career like Alvarez. Some fighters, like Devin Haney, have made gobs of money doing it their way. Others, though, have failed to make the same kind of dent they would have made in the sport (not to mention the same amount of money) if they had just stuck with a promoter.

Why is it so difficult for other fighters who could potentially use their leverage?

“They’re afraid to do it,” Alvarez said. “When you’re afraid to do it, that’s when you limit yourself. I know what I bring to the table for boxing and the promoters. I’m very professional with my job. That’s why they like to work with me. In 2019, all of this started because of my problems with my [Golden Boy] contract. They didn’t want to do the things I wanted. But I knew I could do this by myself. That’s what happened.”

And though Alvarez isn’t interested in talking about a future beyond the Scull fight, he’s scheduled to face Terrence Crawford in September. Then, he’ll have to figure out if he wants to try for a rematch with Dmitry Bivol, who outclassed Alvarez in 2022, or if he’ll potentially travel to England to face Chris Eubank Jr., who’s coming off a huge win vs. Conor Benn.

What Alvarez isn’t looking to do is to trod down the unfamiliar path of retirement. Not yet anyway. He’s having too much fun with what he knows best.

“Look, I enjoy every fight,” he said. “I go fight by fight. I have this [four-fight]deal. I’m going to enjoy this fight. Then, we’ll see.”

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