William Scull Appeals IBF Decision After Controversial Title Bout Against Vladimir Shishkin
Dmitry Bivol made waves in boxing when he protested the outcome of his recent loss to Artur Beterbiev, likely aiming to secure a rematch rather than alter the result itself. Following suit, another challenger is now seeking to overturn a judges' decision after a contentious title fight.
William Scull, who was named the IBF super-middleweight mandatory challenger earlier this year, found himself in a difficult position when Canelo Alvarez vacated his IBF belt in pursuit of more prominent opponents. This left Scull to face Vladimir Shishkin for the vacant title in the 168-pound division.
In a matchup held in Falkensee, Germany, Scull edged out Shishkin via a unanimous decision (116-113, 116-112, 115-113) in a bout that many critics deemed hard to score due to its low output. However, the Cuban fighter believes he convincingly earned the win and is now lodging an appeal with the IBF.
Dmitry Salita, Shishkin’s promoter, voiced concerns about the officiating by German referee Oliver Brien, particularly regarding an incident in the twelfth round where Scull spat out his gumshield, seemingly to buy time after being buzzed. “The referee didn’t penalize or warn William Scull for hitting behind the head, hitting after the bell, holding – things like that,” Salita stated to Boxing Scene. “The right man has to win. Justice has to happen inside the ring.”
The fight itself was widely criticized, with Shishkin landing only 14.8% of his punches (110-of-746), while Scull managed a more effective 22.3% (80-of-359), albeit by throwing fewer punches overall. The total number of landed punches fell below 200 for the contest, prompting discussions about the fight's quality.
If the immediate rematch that Shishkin and Salita are calling for occurs, it may struggle to generate interest given the lackluster performance from both fighters. The boxing community will be watching closely as the IBF reviews the appeal, which could significantly impact the futures of Scull and Shishkin.
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