RIYADH: Canelo Alvarez once again cemented his place atop boxing’s super middleweight division, claiming undisputed status with a unanimous decision win over IBF title holder William Scull on Saturday night at the ANB Arena in Riyadh. It was a tactical affair rather than a thriller, but enough to remind the world who still rules at 168 pounds.

Canelo told Arab News before the fight that he would humble Scull, adding: “He’s very confident but he’s going to feel something different on Saturday.” The latter felt the Mexican king’s words.

Turki Alalshikh delivered the night’s biggest fireworks after the final bell, orchestrating a dramatic in-ring face-off between Canelo and Terence Crawford to announce plans for a Sept. 12 mega-fight. The undefeated Crawford, one of Turki’s favored fighters, now appears next in line — a high-stakes bout that has boxing buzzing.

A Canelo and Crawford showdown is a classic pressure versus precision matchup — Canelo’s methodical stalking and body punching against Crawford’s switch-hitting, movement, and counters. If Crawford can control distance and disrupt Canelo’s rhythm, he can box his way to a decision. But if Canelo cuts the ring, lands to the body, and imposes his physicality, he could break Crawford down — or at least bank enough rounds up close.

Elsewhere on the card, Badou Jack retained his WBC cruiserweight title in a majority decision that left many scratching their heads. Most observers believed Noel Mikaelian had done more than enough to win, but the judges saw it otherwise, handing Jack one of the night’s more contentious victories.

Super middleweight contender Jaime Munguia picked up a solid, if unremarkable, win in his rematch with Bruno Surace, while heavyweights Efe Ajagba and Martin Bakole battled to a hard-fought draw that could easily set up a rematch. Both fighters absorbed plenty in a gritty back-and-forth contest.

Bakole was amazed to see how popular he was among Saudi fans who shouted his name throughout the fight. “I stole the show — everyone loves me (here),” he said, adding that he was aiming for a rematch to settle the score.

The undercard delivered glimpses of the future. Cuban light heavyweight prospect Brayan Leon stayed unbeaten with a dominant win, despite some defensive lapses, while 2024 Olympian Marco Verde made a thunderous pro debut with a first-round stoppage.

Richard Riakporhe made a successful entrance into the heavyweight ranks with a stoppage win over Kevin Nicolas Espindola.

Fighting for the first time since his cruiserweight title loss to Chris Billam-Smith last June, the 35-year-old Londoner returned to the ring carrying a bulked-up frame at 235 pounds. The added size signaled his intentions to create a new chapter in boxing’s glamor division.

“I want to get a heavyweight title. I’ve grown now, I’ve built myself up, I’m more healthy," Riakporhe said, expressing a desire to chase that ambition under the lights of a familiar setting. “This is where I want to do my fighting now,” he added, referring to Saudi Arabia.

The Kingdom’s own Mohammed Alakel remained undefeated, winning a shutout decision and continuing his climb in the opening bout on the Fatal Fury City of Wolves card.

He told Arab News in a post-fight interview that he was ready to “happily” take on any name next, anywhere in the world, adding: “I just want to get the experience and (become) the first Saudi champion.”

It was a night billed around one man, but the supporting cast — for better or worse — gave fans plenty to talk about. From disputed decisions to promising debuts, Riyadh delivered the full spectrum of boxing’s beauty and blemishes.

RIYADH: Al-Nassr celebrated winning the 2024-25 Saudi Women’s Premier League title on Wednesday night after a thumping 6-0 win over Al-Taraji in their final match of the season in Riyadh.

Al-Nassr had secured the title several weeks ago and finished the season with a total of 51 points from 17 wins and only one loss.

Al-Nassr got off to a perfect start when Maria Eduardo (Duda) scored in the first minute, one of three goals she bagged in the game. Her second came one minute before the break, and she completed her hattrick after 64 minutes.

It was not the only treble of the night as Carla Luvanga repeated the feat for Al-Nassr, bringing her total for the season to 21 and making her the league’s top scorer.

The Tanzanian star opened her account after six minutes and followed up with strikes in the 17th and 36th minutes, as Al-Nassr ended the first half with a five-goal lead.

There were several other notable moments, with one yellow card issued for Al-Nassr and two for Al-Taraji, and eight and 15 fouls respectively.

Following the win, Al-Nassr’s goalkeeper Sarah Khalid told Arab News: “We prepared very well for this game, but we also wanted to enjoy every moment of it.

“It’s the last game of the season, we’re champions.”

Khalid added: “It was a good game for us ... we gave it our all, we wanted to score more obviously but at the same time, the coach decided to play as many players as possible and this is also amazing.”

The key to the championship was taking one game at a time. “Working hard towards a specific objective and lifting each other up through hardships and adversity is what makes this team very special.”

Speaking to Arab News, Al-Nassr’s head coach, Abdulaziz Al-Alwni, said: “What happened today was not easy … all the challenges we overcame were difficult, but we lucked out with this team.”

Al-Alwni added: “This year we achieved high stats and difficult numbers, and the group as a whole is the main reason why we reached as far as we did.”

“Off the field, away from the game, it’s a clean environment, an attractive environment, an environment of one heart and one family, that is the main reason why the team performs well on the field.”

The coach has already begun planning for next season.

“Next season is a hard one, we have Asia (AFC Women’s Asian Cup), West Asia (WAFF Women’s Championship), the league, the cup (Saudi Women’s Cup), and the Super Cup (Saudi Women’s Super Cup),” Al-Alwni said.

“There’s some pressure, the Saudi players are not used to these types of championships, but we have started working and next season will hopefully be a substantial one.”

Reem Al-Beloshi, a goalkeeper for Al-Nassr, spoke proudly of the result. “Today’s game was of course amazing,” she said. “We celebrated our third league win in a row … we feel great, we’re happy.”

Al-Beloshi said the attitude going into every game was to “push through” until the last minute.

When that determination is combined with respect for the game and respect for the opposing team, she added, that is when you will see your ambitions realized.