NEW YORK – Canelo Alvarez has occupied this precarious position enough times to know exactly what to say and precisely how to say it.

This isn’t even the most memorable instance of the Mexican superstar pushing questions about a mid-September opponent back a couple months, until after he defeats an inferior foe early in May. That occurred in 2017, when Alvarez defeated countryman Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and officially announced his long-awaited showdown with Gennadiy Golovkin in the ring afterward at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The 34-year-old icon declined to discuss Terence Crawford this time, despite the fact that the four-division champion’s probable opponent for September 13 is what virtually everyone wants to talk about less than two months before Alvarez squares off with William Scull on May 3.

Alvarez didn’t know Scull existed this time a year ago. It wasn’t until the IBF stripped the Guadalajara native of its 168-pound championship that he thought Scull could become a future opponent.

Even then, Scull (23-0, 9 KOs) needed to out-point previously unbeaten Russin Vladimir Shishkin (16-1, 10 KOs) in their mandated fight for the then-vacant IBF super middleweight title October 19 at Stadthalle in Falkensee, Germany, just outside of Berlin.

The Cuban-born, Berlin-based Scull will make his first defense of that IBF belt when he battles Alvarez (62-2-2, 39 KOs) in the main event of a DAZN Pay-Per-View show at ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. DraftKings has established Alvarez as a staggering 30-1 favorite to win their 12-round fight for Scull’s title and Alvarez’s Ring, WBA, WBC and WBO belts.

If Alvarez wins back the IBF belt that was stripped from him late last July, he can defend all of boxing’s recognized 168-pound championships versus Crawford four months later at the Raiders’ Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

“You know, I can see people want to see that fight [with Crawford], too,” Alvarez told The Ring before a press conference Thursday night at Radio City Music Hall to promote his fight versus Scull. “So, I think it started making sense. It’s a possibility. So, we’ll see after May.”

Alvarez avoided talking about Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs), another four-weight world champion from Omaha, Nebraska, when asked how the 37-year-old Crawford’s size disadvantage might become a factor in their bout.

“We don’t know,” Alvarez said. “We don’t know. If we get the fight, we’re gonna fight that fight. We don’t know yet.”

Dmitry Bivol beat Alvarez convincingly in their light heavyweight title bout in May 2022 at T-Mobile Arena. Alvarez didn’t want to address trying to avenge that unanimous points loss to Russia’s Bivol (24-1, 12 KOs), boxing’s new undisputed light heavyweight champ, either.

“I don’t know,” Alvarez said. “[I want] the best fights. Make the best fights out there. I don’t know yet. I’m thinking about May and William Scull. I’m focused a hundred percent on this fighter. … I’m not gonna take it easy. I’m gonna train and train hard, be focused on William Scull. I don’t wanna talk about other opponents.”