William Scull (left) takes a jab during his unanimous decision victory over Vladimir Shishkin in their vacant IBF super middleweight title fight on October 19 in Falkansee, Germany. Photo credit: Torsten Helmke, AGON Sports
One of the worst title fights of the year could somehow produce a sequel.
The Ring confirmed that Vladimir Shishkin and his team are trying to overturn his solo career defeat. Shishkin lost a controversial decision to William Scull in their vacant IBF super middleweight title fight on October 19 in Falkansee, Germany. Scull won by scores of 116-112, 116-113 and 115-113, although most observers felt Shishkin was unlucky not to have his hand up.
Shishkin is promoted by Salita Promotions. Both parties are legally represented by David Berlin, who filed a complaint with Bund Deutscher Berufsboxer, the presiding boxing commission in Germany, on Monday. Shishkin’s team cited unclear scoring by the judges and biased officials by Berlin-based referee Olivier Brien.
Boxing News’ Keith Idec was the first to report the development.
Scull (23-0, 9 KOs) was rewarded for his efficiency over Shishkin’s significantly higher punch output. Compubox’s unofficial stats credited Scull with just 80-of-359 total punches (22.3 percent) in their grueling 12-round fight. Shishkin (16-1, 10 KOs) landed 110 of 746 punches (14.8 percent). Hurting Shishkin’s case was that 70 percent of his punches were punches (522), yet two fewer than Scull landed (44-to-42).
Shishkin landed 68-of-324 power punches (30.4 percent)—defined by Compubox as any punch that isn’t a jab. Scull was just 36-of-154 in this category (23.4 percent).
Several individual rounds were flagged as suspicious.
Judge Rene Fiebig (Germany) scored the match 116-113 for Scull. He scored the second round 10-10 and somehow awarded Scull the twelfth, a round where the local boxer was rocked early in the round and regularly clinched the stretch.
Judge Robert Hoyle (United States) was the only official to score round eight for Scull. The three-minute frame saw Scull fail to land a single power punch (0-of-14) and just four total shots in the round. The fifth round was another outlier giving Hoyle a clear Shishkin round for Scull.
The official protest also mentioned the “gross incompetence” of the referee, especially in the last round. Shortly after the two fighters were separated from a clinch, Scull deliberately spat out his mouthpiece. Not only was he not warned, but he was also given valuable time to recover from being hurt earlier in the round.
It is understandable for Shishkin and his team to claim injustice over the decision. However, official scores are rarely if ever overturned without proof of corruption. On the occasion when commissions and sanctioning bodies recognize that the official is incompetent, this is usually met with light disciplinary action.
Shishkin’s team has a backup plan in place. A request will be submitted to the IBF to order an immediate rematch.
Scull and Shishkin were both considered mandatory challengers for the IBF super middleweight title. Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez (62-2-2, 39 KOs) previously held the belt – along with every other and The Ring Championship at 168 – but was stripped for failing to defend against Scull.
Shishkin is the title shot as the IBF no. 2 rated competitor granted. He defeated former title holder Jose Uzcategui in a title elimination match in December 2022.
Scull achieved his endorsement position with a twelve-round victory over Evgeny Shvedenko that same year. Their final elimination for July 2022 was for the number 1 spot.
Once the title was removed from Alvarez’s reign, the IBF ordered a Scull-Shishkin vacant title fight. A hearing for the purse has been scheduled due to the lack of movement in the negotiation period. Salita Promotions was able to strike a deal with AGON Sports, Scull’s promoter, at the eleventh hour to avoid that process.
The next RING ratings update will have Scull and Shishkin respectively at no. 6 and no. 7 at super middleweight.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for The Ring and vice president of the Boxing Writers Association of America.
