Dsalita Amidst the speculation surrounding Canelo Alvarez’s upcoming opponent, the IBF has made its move by mandating a fight against long-standing mandatory challenger William Scull. AGON Sports and Events, who represent Scull, have set a deadline of four weeks for both parties to reach an agreement and avoid a bidding war for the fight.
Scull, hailing from Cuba but based in Germany, holds an undefeated record of 22-0 with 9 knockouts. His most notable victory came in July 2022 against Evgeny Shvedenko in a crucial eliminator. Despite being booked for shorter fights in his recent bouts, including a win over Sean Hemphill on Canelo’s previous undercard, Scull remains a relatively unknown figure in comparison to Canelo’s past opponents.
The possibility of paying off Scull to step aside, similar to Jermell Charlo’s handling of Bakhram Murtazaliev, is on the table. However, the decision ultimately lies with Scull and his willingness to cooperate. Conversely, Canelo and his team could explore the option of challenging the WBA next, potentially setting up a clash with Edgar Berlanga.
Reflecting on Canelo’s history with the IBF, particularly the title stripping incident in 2019 due to a failure to negotiate with Sergiy Derevyanchenko, it is evident that mandatory challenges have been a recurring issue. Only time will tell if Canelo’s reluctance to comply with mandatory defenses will have any repercussions in this situation.
