William Scull Seeks History For Cuba By Winning IBF Title

William Scull is desperate to take this opportunity to become the IBF Super Middleweight Champion.
Scull is 22-0 and worked himself into the position of an IBF mandatory for Canelo Alvarez’s Undisputed Super Middleweight Titles. The IBF ordered the mandatory, but Canelo chose to face Edgar Berlanga instead. Canelo beat Berlanga via a unanimous decision but was stripped of the IBF title, leaving Scull to face Vladimir Shishkin for the vacant title this weekend. Scull only has nine knockouts, having failed to stop his last four opponents.
His last stoppage was in 2021, when he knocked out Deneb Diaz. Shishkin is 16-0 with ten knockouts. He has three stoppages in his last four fights. He enters the bout with a win over Mike Guy via a seventh-round knockout. This is the biggest fight of their career, as the winner will likely face Canelo, giving the Mexican the chance to become undisputed again. Scull was aiming to make history by joining other Cuban legends such as Yordenis Ugas and Guillermo Rigondeaux.
Scull On His Aim
“It’s a dream come true to be able to fight Vladimir Shishkin for the world title on October 19 after so many years of waiting. It means a lot to me because it has been my dream since I was a child and I am very happy to be able to compete in this championship thanks to the support of my family, who are involved in all of this, my coach Franquis Aldama, my fitness trainer Raul Moggiano and my promoter Agon Sport (Ingo Volckmann),” Scull said
Scull has an extensive amateur record. He has had over 300 fights since he left Cuba to go to Argentina in 2016. His talent showed very early on during his first nine fights in Argentina. He then made his way to Germany in 2019. He eventually worked his way into a mandatory position when he beat Evgeny Shvedenko in 2022. While he missed out against Canelo, he could get that chance back with a win.
Scull On Legacy
He is currently ranked number six by Ring Magazine. He is also in the shadows of David Morrell Jr., the WBA Interim Light Heavyweight Champion, who is expected to face David Benavidez next. But a win would propel his name further and boost his countrymen’s chances of becoming a world champion too. Scull admitted he had plenty of motivation going into this fight.
“It was a difficult time in my career because I didn’t know what was going to happen. In reality, I was looking forward to facing super champion Canelo Alvarez, but I was always focused and knew that something good was going to happen. From what I’ve seen so far, he’s a strong boxer, but I’m ready to beat anything Shishkin brings,” he explained. “I’m a fighter who can do all three distances and I’ve prepared well, I have all the skills to beat him. It’s something very important for Cuban boxing, I’m motivated by the success of my compatriots. Viva Cuba! They will have the next IBF world champion on the 19th,” Scull added
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