The International Boxing Federation (IBF) has ordered Canelo Alvarez to defend his super middleweight title against #1 mandatory William Scull next. It’s still too early to know if Canelo will agree to this fight, which won’t do well on PPV.
If Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) chooses to keep his IBF belt, he and the 31-year-old Scull (22-0, 9 KOs) have 28 days to put together a deal before a purse bid.
It’s difficult to understand why the IBF has given the Cuban-born Scull the #1 mandatory slot, as he’s beaten no one of note during his entire eight-year professional career.
Since he turned pro in 2016, his opposition has been lackluster second-tier, and based on his paper-thin resume, you can argue that even a #15 ranking would be generous for Scull.
Who is William Scull?
Even hardcore boxing fans have no clue who William Scull is, and the reason for that is that he’s been facing scrubs his entire pro career. That’s why it’s possible that Canelo will vacate the IBF belt.
Technically, Scull is undefeated but the guys he’s faced are completely unknown fighters. For example, these are Scull’s last four opponents: Sean Hemphill, Christian Fabian Rios, Abel Nicholas Adriel, and Evgeny Shvedenko.
The IBF is doing Canelo no favors if he chooses to hold onto their title, as it won’t be a PPV-worthy match-up, and he’s not going to be able to ask fans to pay $80+ to watch him fight the light-hitting, crafty Scull, who fights a lot like Shakur Stevenson, using the hit-and-run approach.
Canelo prefers to fight opposition that stands in front of him rather than runners, but he’s going to have to chase Scull around the ring if he chooses to defend his IBF belt against him.
Canelo’s Decision: Vacate or Keep the Belt
It’s a tough choice Canelo has to make. Does he fight the unknown Scull or vacate his IBF title to target more fan-friendly oppoisition that will bring in the money and interest fans?
I would dump the IBF title in a hot second if I were Canelo, but maybe his ego is wrapped up in the idea of holding all four titles at super middleweight.
Canelo values being the undisputed champion, but he got away with not fighting David Benavidez and David Morrell when they were his #1 ranked contenders. If he wouldn’t fight them, why would he face the little-known Scull?
