IBF Champion William Scull is a World Titleholder in Name Only
In the modern four-world-belt era, not all world champions are made equal. For every world titleholder who is an elite fighter, there’s someone average, if not substandard. Of those who fall into the latter category, the worst of that group is the reigning IBF super middleweight champion, William “El Indomable” Scull (23-0, 9 KOs).
The 32-year-old Cuban won the IBF title in October 2024 with a unanimous decision victory over Vladimir Shishikin. 3Kings Boxing covered the contest and felt that Shishkin deserved the verdict due to his more consistent punching throughout and strong finish during the championship rounds.
FAR FROM A JOY TO WATCH
Scull has decent speed and footwork. The best punch in his arsenal is the left jab. However, it’s a punch used for defensive purposes only. He often refuses to follow up that punch with meaningful combinations.
His inside attack is nonexistent. Instead, he prefers to hold in close quarters and wait until the referee calls them to break. In short, El Indomable is a killjoy in the ring – a safety-first boxer who loves to move around the ring rather than fight. Fellow Cuban and multiple-time 122-pound champion Guillermo Rigondeaux often drew the ire of boxing fans because of his tendency to, at times, play it safe. Rigondeaux is a ball of excitement in comparison to Scull.
Here’s the reality: Scull is the product of a watered-down version of the super middleweight division and the sport as a whole. He only fought for the IBF belt after the sanctioning body decided to strip previous undisputed 168-pound champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. The guess is that top challengers in the division have the phone number of Scull’s manager on speed dial in an attempt to make a fight with him.
A common and popular phrase within today’s boxing vocabulary is, “there are levels to this.” No one is lower on the scale than Scull. He’s that second-rate among the current world champions.
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