It’s the tale as old as boxing—hype your fighter by tearing down the other guy. But this time, the punch missed its mark, failing to stir the reaction it aimed for. You see, Conor Benn is coming off a close loss to generational rival Chris Eubank Jr. in Tottenham last Saturday night. However, the crux of this story started unfolding before that, and now, Canelo Alvarez has gotten involved.

What happened? And how did William Scull get into the picture? Well, about a handful of days ago, Nigel Benn, the legendary English boxer and father to Conor Benn, was boasting about his son’s prowess by lifting the lid on his son’s sparring session with Canelo’s upcoming opponent, William Scull, the current IBF super middleweight champion, who is two divisions above Conor. 

“You know the saying, ‘what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas?’ Well, what happened in Majorca, I’m telling,” Benn Sr. said during the final press conference before his son’s fight against Eubank Jr. “Then to put the cherry on top, he started sparring a guy called William Scull, an IBF champion, who is fighting Canelo a week after Conor.”

“Then round eight came… Me and Tony [Sims] looked at each other and thought he just quit, he just stopped. He couldn’t take [any] more after eight rounds, we were meant to do 10,” he later added. “My little boy just damaged the IBF world champion, and I am so confident this [doesn’t] go past four rounds.”

Now, with Benn’s defeat at the hands of Eubank Jr., Canelo was pressed about his thoughts on the comments made by Nigel Benn. 

Canelo Alvarez reveals concern over Nigel Benn’s sparring claim with William Scull

Canelo Alvarez is already in Saudi Arabia for his undisputed fight against William Scull, which will be his first fight in the country. While there, the Mexican superstar crossed paths with iFL TV, who quickly asked him about his thoughts on William Scull. “I saw him in a couple of fights, and he’s a good fighter and he knows how to use the jab and move,” Canelo said.

Canelo went as far as to suggest that the beginning of the fight will be “difficult” for him, but “I face everybody and I adapt myself to anything.” This prompted the reporter to press Canelo about Nigel Benn’s comments, and Canelo responded by saving Scull from the embarrassment of losing to a boxer who recently lost a fight.

“You know what sparring is—It’s different,” Canelo Alvarez said. “I don’t know what happened there, and I don’t want to say anything. But I’m not worried about anything. I’m just worried about being in my best, and it’s their problem.” Regardless, Canelo and Scull will collide in the ring for all four super middleweight belts on May 3rd in Riyadh. 

The fight will be Canelo’s first fight in the four-fight deal he signed with His Excellency Turki Alalshikh earlier this year. A win here will put him on a collision course with two-division undisputed champion Terence Crawford in a potential September fight. 

Having said that, after Nigel Benn tried to boast about his son’s abilities, his son ended up losing the fight. And now, Canelo Alvarez doesn’t even seem to take the comments seriously. Do you think Scull will be a challenge for Canelo? Could Benn have really stopped Scull?