By Keith Idec
VLADIMIR SHISHKIN hasn’t been granted a direct rematch with William Scull.
The IBF has assured Shishkin, nonetheless, that he’ll get one other alternative in 2025 to combat for its tremendous middleweight title. Boxing Information has realized that the Springfield, New Jersey-based sanctioning group knowledgeable Dmitriy Salita, Shishkin’s promoter, that the Russian contender will preserve the quantity two spot in its 168-pound rankings and is a minimum of assured to field the winner of Scull’s subsequent bout earlier than August 17.
David Berlin, an legal professional for Shishkin and Salita Promotions, beforehand cited “the shameful verdict of the judges” and the conduct of referee Oliver Brien of their official request to the Affiliation of German Skilled Boxers, which was requested to reverse the official end result of their October 19 bout at Stadthalle in Falkensee, a suburb of Berlin, from a 12-round, unanimous-decision victory for Scull to a win for Shishkin. That enchantment wasn’t profitable, both, however Salita expressed optimism concerning Shishkin’s scenario throughout an interview Monday with BN.
The Cuban-born Scull, 23-0 (9 KOs), resides and trains in Germany, the place his promoter, Berlin-based AGON Sports activities & Occasions, placed on their major occasion after reaching a take care of Salita Promotions. Shishkin, 16-1 (10 KOs), trains in Detroit.
“I’m very grateful that the IBF did the proper factor for the game of boxing,” Salita stated. “Like I stated earlier than, in comparison with different sports activities, a world document for 100 metres ought to be the identical in America, in Germany, in China. You realize, all around the world it ought to be the identical. Vladimir is gonna get one other shot on the world title. We all know the boxing world is a flowing state, so we’ll see how that develops. However we’re excited and grateful for this consequence.”
The IBF additionally said in its letter to Salita Promotions that Scull should make a mandated defence of his title on or earlier than April 19, presumably towards the winner of elimination match it ordered between third-ranked Christian Mbilli, 28-0 (23 KOs), and fourth-ranked Diego Pacheco, 22-0 (18 KOs).
Mbilli and Pacheco may pursue different tremendous middleweight title photographs, although, which might expedite Shishkin’s second championship likelihood. Primarily based on the IBF’s timeline, Mbilli and Pacheco must field one another, and the winner must problem Scull inside lower than the following 5 months.
All three judges – Germany’s Rene Fiebig (116-113), america’ Robert Hoyle (116-112) and France’s Ammar Sakraoui (115-113) – scored Scull the winner over Shishkin final month. Fiebig credited Scull for profitable every of the final 4 rounds.
Fiebig had Shishkin forward 77-76 by eight rounds, but oddly credited Scull for profitable the ultimate spherical, which Shishkin gained in line with Hoyle and Sakraoui. Again-to-back jabs by Shishkin shocked Scull lower than 30 seconds into the twelfth spherical, which left the newly topped champion holding Shishkin.
After Brien separated them, Scull spit out his mouthpiece, which afforded him roughly 17 seconds from the time Brien broke Shiskhin and Scull aside to when the motion resumed. Scull principally held all through the twelfth spherical to make it to the ultimate bell.
Berlin wrote in his protest that Brien and Fiebig exhibited “gross incompetence” by officiating and scoring the twelfth spherical the way in which that they did. Berlin additionally famous that Brien didn’t warn Scull for hitting Shishkin on the again of his head and after the bell a number of instances.
CompuBox credited Shishkin unofficially for touchdown 30 extra punches total than Scull (110-of-746 to 80-of-359). Shishkin related on almost twice as many energy punches as Scull (68-of-224 to 36-of-154) and two fewer jabs (44-of-205 to 42-of-522), in line with CompuBox.
Scull, 32, and Shishkin, 33, fought for the IBF’s unclaimed championship as a result of Canelo Alvarez vacated that title to field Brooklyn’s Edgar Berlanga, an non-compulsory opponent. Mexico’s Alvarez, 62-2-2 (39 KOs), beat Berlanga, 22-1 (17 KOs), by unanimous resolution September 14 at T-Cell Area in Las Vegas.
