The W.A.D.E. Concept - Canelo Alvarez vs William Scull Was.. EMBARRASSING - The Herd with Colin Cowherd

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Herd with Colin Cowherd

Episode: The W.A.D.E. Concept - Canelo Alvarez vs William Scull Was.. EMBARRASSING
Release Date: May 4, 2025
Host: Wade (Ring Magazine Contributor)

Introduction

In this episode of The Herd with Colin Cowherd, host Wade delves into the recent boxing events, focusing primarily on the highly anticipated but ultimately disappointing fight between Canelo Alvarez and William Skoll. Wade provides a critical analysis of the match, explores the current state of boxing, and discusses future prospects within the sport.

Breakdown of the Canelo Alvarez vs. William Skoll Fight

Wade begins by expressing his frustration with the outcome of the Canelo vs. Skoll fight, describing it as a "snooze fest" (00:59). He highlights the lackluster performances from both fighters, pointing out that Canelo brought some aggressiveness but couldn't effectively cut off the ring against Skoll's lateral movement.

Canelo's Performance: Wade notes that while Canelo attempted to be the aggressor, his efforts were minimal and lacked the usual intensity fans expect. He states, “Canelo was not able to cut him off as much as he wanted to” (02:45).
William Skoll's Strategy: Skoll, on the other hand, chose a defensive approach, focusing on boxing off the back foot and moving laterally. Wade criticizes this strategy, saying, “it was a lack of activity” (04:10).
Overall Fight Quality: The fight was characterized by low output and limited engagement from both fighters. Wade remarks, “three of the top five least output punch fights in the history of 12 round boxing” (06:30).

Current State of Boxing

Wade expands his critique to the broader boxing landscape, mentioning other fighters like Devin Haney, Jose Ramirez, Ryan Garcia, and Rolly Romero. He observes a trend of methodical and low-energy fights, attributing it to fighters prioritizing longevity over entertainment.

Fighter Styles: He emphasizes the need for fighters to adopt more aggressive and engaging styles to revive the sport's appeal. “I'm looking to see fighters that want to fight, not just win a boxing match” (08:15).
Sanctioning Bodies vs. True Competitiveness: Wade criticizes the influence of sanctioning bodies in determining matchups, arguing that it often prevents the best fighters from facing each other naturally. “Fighting the best, not the sanctioning bodies' best” (09:45).

Future Prospects: Canelo vs. Terence Crawford

Looking ahead, Wade expresses excitement for the upcoming fight between Canelo Alvarez and Terence "Bud" Crawford, scheduled for September 19 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. He highlights several factors that make this fight particularly intriguing:

Balanced Matchup: Wade discusses the physical parity between Canelo and Crawford, challenging the narrative that Canelo is the superior physical specimen. “Bud might weigh more, potentially, than Canelo does, just walking around weight” (12:30).
Fighting Styles: He anticipates a more dynamic and engaging fight, believing that both fighters have the potential to deliver a high-octane performance. “It's a fight that matters to me, not because the belts are on the line... but it's about the best fighting the best” (14:00).
Expectations: Wade sets his expectations high, hoping for an intense and competitive match, contrasting it with the underwhelming Canelo vs. Skoll fight. “I'm expecting that to be a barn burner” (15:00).

Insights and Conclusions

Wade concludes the episode by reiterating his desire for a revival of exciting and meaningful fights in boxing. He stresses the importance of fighters embracing aggressive and legacy-building approaches rather than settling for safe, point-based matches.

Legacy and Entertainment: “I want to see someone in the sport of boxing create legacy. I want to see someone approach a fight like Chris Eubank Jr. did” (14:30).
Call to Action for Fighters: Wade calls on boxers to prioritize creating historic moments and delivering performances that resonate with fans. “It's an entertainment sport because fighters go in and lay it all on the line” (15:40).
Final Thoughts on the Canelo vs. Skoll Fight: He acknowledges the significance of Canelo becoming a two-time undisputed champion but questions the necessity and quality of the Skoll fight in achieving that milestone. “If you have someone as good as Canelo is... you're going to have fights go the way of... a William Skoll” (09:00).

Notable Quotes

“Canelo was not able to cut him off as much as he wanted to.” – Wade (02:45)
“Three of the top five least output punch fights in the history of 12 round boxing.” – Wade (06:30)
“Fighting the best, not the sanctioning bodies' best.” – Wade (09:45)
“I'm expecting that to be a barn burner.” – Wade (15:00)
“It's an entertainment sport because fighters go in and lay it all on the line.” – Wade (15:40)

Conclusion

Wade's analysis provides a critical lens on recent boxing events, highlighting the need for more engaging and ambitious fights to sustain and grow the sport's popularity. While acknowledging the accomplishments of fighters like Canelo Alvarez, he calls for a shift towards matchups that prioritize skill, excitement, and the creation of enduring legacies.

For listeners seeking an in-depth critique of contemporary boxing and insights into upcoming high-profile matches, this episode offers valuable perspectives and passionate commentary.

Transcript

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Wade (0:59)

Folks, welcome back to the Ring Magazine presents the Wade Concept. I am once again in a different location. The job never stops. I'm down here at Most Valuable Prospects. You guys know I'm a commentators commentator. I'm in Orlando, Florida. But as you know, the boxing world keeps on turning. And the Ring magazine had another card tonight in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. I went to Florida. He and all of the big wigs went to Saudi Arabia and put on Canelo Alvarez vs. William Skoll. And right now I'm pretty tired. And it could be because I've been flying all day. It's 1:17am local time. Or it could be because Canelo Alvarez and William Schol, quite frankly, put on a snooze fest in said main event of the evening. It has been a very frustrating couple of days of boxing, and I think we need to talk about why and also why. Hopefully what this was leading up to and now is official, is why this won't continue to be a problem. But what do I mean, the breakdown. Let's go. This was another one of these fights where, you know, Canelo brought the action or at least brought the front foot aggressiveness to this fight, and William Skoll reserved himself to boxing off the back foot and moving laterally. Now, we saw this yesterday, or I guess, yeah, two days ago. Now, by the time you're seeing this video, Devin Haney did a lot of this to Jose Ramirez. Difference was Canelo was able to land on William Skol and Jose Ramirez just wasn't able to land on, on Devin Haney. And honestly had Jose Ramirez landed as much as Canelo did in this fight. And again, it wasn't a lot over this Canelo Williams Skull fight. Devin Haney, Jose Ramirez and Ryan Garcia, Rolly Romero, they are, I think three of the top five least output punch fights in the history of 12 round boxing. I could be wrong about that stat, but someone is gonna show me that it's not been great. Like it's been very low output, very, very methodical boxing because of again, a stylistic matchup, an idea or an approach to the fight as to I'm just going to go in here and box slick or try to survive or be there to try to win a boxing match, not try to win a fight. We talked about that in my last video and that's kind of what this looked like. William Skull, again, a lot of lateral movement. Bigger guy too. A big, strong looking guy for 168 pounds that I, I'm just shocked he didn't, he didn't want to use more of his physical frame to try to put himself in positions to out muscle Canelo or work his way in the clinch. And he just maybe wasn't confident there. Because Canelo is a great inside fighter. You don't want to put yourself in positions to not make it to the later parts of the fight. But it was simple. Skull was willing to move laterally, jab, not keep his feet set. Occasionally would throw counter punches and again when he did throw counter punches, he had some success and it just was like, why not go back and do that again? You're having some success. Do it again. But it was just a lack of activity. And it wasn't just from William Skoll, but on the other side, Canelo was not able to cut him off as much as he wanted to. Whereas Canelo is usually fantastic at cutting off of the ring. This was not a great Canelo performance. Like, yeah, he walked forward. Yes, he had great punches to the body when he let them loose, but it was one at a time as well. This was a left hook to the body and Skull would get out of the corner or it was a right hook to the body and Skull would slide away on the ropes. Or Canelo would just be trying to corral Skull and not able to do it because again, he just wasn't able to cut the ring off skull had good lateral movement, but that is not what boxing is. And at the same point, it kind of is what boxing is like. It. It's not what I like when I watch boxing. It's not what I think people that want to watch a fight like watching. And yeah, sure, by the letter of the law, it is the sport of hitting and not being hit. But when you are not attempting to hit or when you're not attempting to create damage and putting more of a preference on not being hit, then you get these kind of fights where on technicality, if you don't have someone as good as Canelo is that even on one of his bad days that he still understands he needs to do something, then you're going to have fights go the way of a Devin Haney or sometimes the way of a William Scholl, where you're having guys you know, again try to point, fight and win on a style that you can't convince me anyone that even likes the sport likes watching for 12 rounds. It's just not a fun style to watch. But again, like I said with Devin Haney, he is who we thought he was or if you knew anything about William Scholes, kind of how he fights. So it is what it is. I'm glad we just got it out of the way. But again, you're seeing three of these fights that are just stinkers in the last two days. And again, I just go back to the UK fights and I go back to that main event and the difference in a Connor, Ben and Chris Eubank Jr. Fight where, yes, that style of fighting is not one that leads to a lot of, of longevity in the sport. And right. It's very easy for me to sit here and say, that's the kind of fight I want as a fan, I want to watch that kind of fighting where fighters are actually fighting, where they are trying to get their opponent out of there, where they're trying to create damage when they're trying to win a fight more than they're trying to win a boxing match based on a point system. But at the same time, fighters want to be around for a long time. A style that allows you to do that is one that, you know, Devin Haney employs or a William Scholl employs or even in this fight for, for Canelo, because there was no damage coming back at him. A style he's employed for the last however many fights he's had. And again, I'm not saying it's Canelo like, oh, he's on the back Foot letting people come to him. But he has taken a bit off the gas when it comes to finishing opponents or it comes to being a combination puncher or a guy that plants his feet and really throws his hands around again. You've seen parts of that from Canelo. You've seen bits and pieces of that, but not in the way where he would systematically break you down and then eventually he would look for that fin. Been the same Canelo since maybe the Caleb Plant fight, honestly. So, yeah, I mean, this was, again, just a not great fight for Canelo and definitely not a great fight for William Skull. But the entirety of the fight is Canelo walking Skull down and, you know, trying to land pot shots here and there. Skull landing a jab, maybe a double jab, and a lot of lateral movement. Quite. I don't even care to try to go break down the X's and O's of this, other than to say there were moments where I thought Canelo got caught with things he shouldn't have been caught with. I didn't see a lot of volume from Canelo. I didn't see a lot of output. So the only reason I'm bringing in this up is because I'm trying to give you an idea as to what I may see next. Because when Canelo eventually won this thing and it wasn't a close fight, to me, I know that there are going to be people that say, well, one Judge had it 115, 113 into that, I'm going to say again, okay, sure, call it a close fight if you want. I didn't see William Skoll wanting to fight. I didn't see it. I didn't see him wanting to do anything anywhere close to damaging to Canelo. Where I saw Canelo at least attempting to damage William Skull and having a power punch that landed that looked like an actual power punch. But I'm giving you these details because I look toward Canelo's next fight. As he wins this, he becomes undisputed for the second time, which is an accolade that again, people will look back at and go, wow, Canelo was two times undisputed. And it should mean something, especially in the super middleweight division, where he's the first four belt undisputed champion. But did we need this fight? I know why we need it. Because as the fight ended, Canelo's in the ring, and here comes Terence Crawford. That's right, bud. Crawford steps into the ring. A fight that I am down to watch. Is it David Benavidez? Canelo? No. Is It Bud Crawford and Jaron Boots in his. No, but I want to see those two fights separately more. Yeah, probably. And just if we're going to be honest about this whole thing, watching Canelo and William Skull fight, I would rather have seen Canelo fight Jake Paul. I'm just gonna be honest. That would have been more entertaining to me. And I told you guys this when it was rumored, and everybody called me the clown. But anyway, we get a fight that I think most of us will say, you know what? I want to see that. And I do. I. I am down to see Canelo and Bud Crawford for a couple of reasons. Number one, as much as I previously thought the size would be a big factor, I'm looking at them standing face to face in this Face off in Saudi Arabia, and I'm going, oh, shit, Bud's not the small guy in there. That's Canelo. And for the people that go, yeah, Wade. Well, that's just the height. Spoiler alert. I have an interview coming out this week with Bud Crawford, and I asked him about his weight in said interview, and I got to shake hands with the man. And I saw up close and personal that the weight I don't think is much different. And Bud might weigh more, potentially, than Canelo does, just walking around weight. So this narrative that Canelo is the bigger man, the stronger man, I'm not so sure about, at least not right now. So there are some variables here. And then I talk about the fight. You know, as much as this was not a great fight, there are moments where William Skoll, as a counterpuncher, was able to land on Canelo, and it didn't do anything. It didn't hurt him. Didn't really get Canelo's respect at all because there wasn't a ton of power behind it. Skull wouldn't plant his feet and sit down on anything, but Terence Crawford will. And, yes, I remember the Madrimov fight, and that one was not a great matchup for Terrence either. But when I look at Canelo now, and I look at how he is reserved to fighting, how he's reserved himself to fighting, I see a guy that does have some opening. Does that mean Terence Crawford just up and beats him? No, I'm not. I'm not going that far. Matter of fact, I don't really know what. How to look at that fight yet, but it's going down September 19, Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas. And I'm pumped for it. Why? Because it's a fight that matters to me, not because the belts are on the line and I know the belts are a big thing. Ring magazine belt, lineal belt, they got a brand new one. All the major bodies, I get all that. But it's never been about the belts. To me it's about the best. Fighting the best. Blending Vice's signature dynamic storytelling with the high octane world of sports, Vice Sports brings an exciting and diverse range of programming that goes beyond the game catch, action packed live events and exclusive sports documentaries and profiles only on Vice tv.