By Keith Idec
VLADIMIR SHISHKIN hasn’t been granted an immediate rematch with William Scull.
The IBF has assured Shishkin, however, that he will get another opportunity in 2025 to fight for its super middleweight title. Boxing News has learned that the Springfield, New Jersey-based sanctioning organization informed Dmitriy Salita, Shishkin’s promoter, that the Russian contender will maintain the number two spot in its 168-pound rankings and is at least guaranteed to box the winner of Scull’s next bout before August 17.
David Berlin, an attorney for Shishkin and Salita Promotions, previously cited “the shameful verdict of the judges” and the conduct of referee Oliver Brien in their official request to the Association of German Professional Boxers, which was asked to reverse the official outcome 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 appeal wasn’t successful, either, but Salita expressed optimism regarding Shishkin’s situation during an interview Monday with BN.
The Cuban-born Scull, 23-0 (9 KOs), resides and trains in Germany, where his promoter, Berlin-based AGON Sports & Events, put on their main event after reaching a deal with Salita Promotions. Shishkin, 16-1 (10 KOs), trains in Detroit.
“I’m very grateful that the IBF did the right thing for the sport of boxing,” Salita said. “Like I said before, compared to other sports, a world record for a hundred metres should be the same in America, in Germany, in China. You know, all over the world it should be the same. Vladimir is gonna get another shot at the world title. We know the boxing world is a flowing state, so we’ll see how that develops. But we’re excited and grateful for this result.”
The IBF also stated in its letter to Salita Promotions that Scull must make a mandated defence of his title on or before April 19, presumably against 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 could pursue other super middleweight title shots, though, which would expedite Shishkin’s second championship chance. Based on the IBF’s timeline, Mbilli and Pacheco would have to box each other, and the winner would have to challenge Scull within less than the next five months.
All three judges – Germany’s Rene Fiebig (116-113), the United States’ Robert Hoyle (116-112) and France’s Ammar Sakraoui (115-113) – scored Scull the winner over Shishkin last month. Fiebig credited Scull for winning each of the last four rounds.
Fiebig had Shishkin ahead 77-76 through eight rounds, yet oddly credited Scull for winning the final round, which Shishkin won according to Hoyle and Sakraoui. Back-to-back jabs by Shishkin stunned Scull less than 30 seconds into the 12th round, which left the newly crowned champion holding Shishkin.
After Brien separated them, Scull spit out his mouthpiece, which afforded him approximately 17 seconds from the time Brien broke Shiskhin and Scull apart to when the action resumed. Scull mostly held throughout the 12th round to make it to the final bell.
Berlin wrote in his protest that Brien and Fiebig exhibited “gross incompetence” by officiating and scoring the 12th round the way that they did. Berlin also noted that Brien didn’t warn Scull for hitting Shishkin on the back of his head and after the bell several times.
CompuBox credited Shishkin unofficially for landing 30 more punches overall than Scull (110-of-746 to 80-of-359). Shishkin connected on nearly twice as many power punches as Scull (68-of-224 to 36-of-154) and two fewer jabs (44-of-205 to 42-of-522), according to CompuBox.
Scull, 32, and Shishkin, 33, fought for the IBF’s unclaimed championship because Canelo Alvarez vacated that title to box Brooklyn’s Edgar Berlanga, an optional opponent. Mexico’s Alvarez, 62-2-2 (39 KOs), beat Berlanga, 22-1 (17 KOs), by unanimous decision September 14 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
