by Keith Idec
William Scull couldn’t secure a shot at Canelo Alvarez as the mandatory challenger for Alvarez’s IBF super middleweight title because he wasn’t well known and apparently posed little threat to the undisputed 168-pound champion.
When presented with his championship opportunity Saturday night, however, Scull capitalized by out-boxing Vladimir Shishkin in a 12-round battle between unbeaten contenders at Stadthalle in Falkensee, Germany, just outside of Berlin. Scull won a unanimous decision by scores of 116-112, 115-113 and 115-113 and captured an IBF belt Alvarez vacated during the summer.
Neither fighter appeared to hurt his opponent during a competitive but largely unremarkable match that headlined a four-fight show streamed worldwide by DAZN.
The Cuban-born Scull nevertheless realized his dream by becoming a world champion. He also improved to 23-0 (9 KOs) and dealt Russia’s Shishkin his first professional defeat (16-1, 10 KOs).
The IBF ordered Scull, its No. 1 contender in the 168-pound division, and the second-ranked Shishkin to fight for its super middleweight title once Alvarez gave it up in July rather than making a mandated defense versus Scull. Mexico’s Alvarez (62-2-2, 39 KOs) instead defended his WBA, WBC and WBO super middleweight crowns against Edgar Berlanga (22-1, 17 KOs), a Puerto Rican contender from Brooklyn whom Alvarez decisively defeated on points September 14 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The bout between Scull, 32, and Shishkin, 33, was held in Germany, where Scull resides and trains, because AGON Sports & Events, Scull’s promoter, is based in Germany. AGON Sports and Dmitriy Salita, Shishkin’s promoter, reached an agreement on contractual terms just before the IBF’s purse bid for Scull-Shishkin was scheduled to take place August 20.
Almost two months to the day later, Scull became the IBF’s new champion in their division.
The championship rounds were closely contested, just as the first 10 rounds unfolded. The disciplined contenders stuck to what they felt was working – with Scull moving, sticking his jab occasionally and trying to punch in combination – and Shishikin consistently keeping Scull on his back foot and firing jabs.
An overhand right by Shishkin caught Scull a little less than 30 seconds into the 10th round. Scull’s jab was an effective punch during that 10th round, though, and he knocked Shishkin off balance with a combination that during its middle minute.
Scull connected with two right hands a few seconds apart a little more than a minute into the ninth round.
Shishkin pressed the action and fired his jab consistently again in the eighth round. His punches simply seemed to have little effect on Scull, whose head and upper-body movement enabled him to avoid various power punches from Shishkin.
Scull clipped Shiskhin with his right hand several seconds before the midway mark of the seventh round. Shishkin had a cut over his right eye as he walked back to his corner after the seventh round.
The sixth round mirrored most of the first five rounds because Shishkin worked mostly off his jab, whereas the elusive Scull slipped plenty of punches, yet didn’t land many in return.
Shishkin dictated distance with his jab again in the fifth round, but he didn’t land any punches that affected Scull. Shishkin did catch Scull with his right hand during an exchange with about 35 seconds remaining in the fifth round.
Shishkin and Scull exchanged words once the fifth round ended because Shishkin thought Scull hit him after the bell sounded.
A comfortable Scull found his rhthym in the fourth round, but Shishkin didn’t deviate from his game plan and consistently threw his jab. Scull slipped Shishkin’s shots for the most part in those three minutes and boxed well near the center of the ring.
Shishkin slipped many of Scull’s shots in the third round, when Shishkin pressed the action and worked off his jab. Scull connected with his right hand barely a minute into the third round.
Shishkin was the aggressor for much of the second round, but Scull boxed effectively off his back foot and at times stood his ground and landed hard shots. Scull snuck in a right hand a little less than 30 seconds into the second round.
Scull and Shishkin each tried to establish his jab and fought from a comfortable distance during an unremarkable first round.