The global boxing community is still recovering from one of the biggest upsets in the history of the sport: Canelo Alvarez, the “Undefeated King” of the super middleweight division, was knocked out by William Scull in a bout at the T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, on April 15, 2025. After 20 minutes of intense fighting, Scull did the unthinkable when he landed a precise right hook to Canelo’s face in the seventh round, sending the Mexican legend rolling backward, in front of over 20,000 wildly cheering spectators.
The fight started with Canelo leading, and he used his vast experience and trademark body shots to trouble Scull in the first four rounds. Canelo, with a 61-2-2 (39 KOs) record coming into the fight, seemed to completely control the pace of the fight, leading many to believe that Scull, though undefeated at 22-0 (10 KOs), would soon fall. However, things changed in the fifth round when Scull began to pick up the pace, using his speed and punches to shake Canelo’s defense. In the seventh round, a perfect combination—a left jab that looped through, followed by a powerful right hook—sent Canelo to the canvas for the first time in his career in over a decade.
The crowd at the T-Mobile Arena went wild, rising to their feet and cheering as a stunned Canelo tried to get up but couldn’t before the referee counted to 10. The fight ended in the 20th minute, marking the first knockout loss of Canelo Álvarez’s career, and the biggest win of William Scull’s career. “I told everyone I would shock the world! Canelo is a legend, but tonight, I am the king!” Scull shouted in the post-fight interview, holding the IBF belt high, and simultaneously “snatching” the WBA, WBC, WBO, and The Ring belts from Canelo.
Reactions on X exploded with the hashtags #CaneloVsScull and #BoxingUpset as fans couldn’t believe their eyes. Some hailed Scull as boxing’s new “disruptor,” while others said Canelo was “past his prime,” with comments such as, “Canelo is too slow, he’s not the king anymore!” Canelo’s promoter Eddie Hearn was disappointed but still defended his fighter: “Canelo had an off day, but he’ll come back stronger.” Meanwhile, Scull’s agent, Frank Warren, declared: “William has rewritten history. This is the beginning of a new era!”
Canelo, in the post-fight interview, admitted defeat, but didn’t forget to issue a challenge: “I respect William, he got me tonight. But I’ll come back and take my belts!” The fight not only shook the boxing world but also opened the door for a potential rematch, with millions of fans clamoring for Canelo to get revenge in Mexico at the end of 2025. Will Canelo be able to reclaim his glory or will Scull continue to dominate the super middleweight division? The answer remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: the night of April 15, 2025, will forever be remembered as the day boxing witnessed “the biggest shock in history.”