Attorney files appeal to overturn, review Vladimir Shishkin defeat

Vladimir Shishkin’s attorney has filed an appeal with the German boxing commission following the super middleweight’s unanimous decision loss to William Scull in an IBF title fight on Saturday, according to the fighter’s promiter, Dmitriy Salita.

Although many observers considered scores from the fight to be controversial, all three judges saw it for Scull – a Cuban who lives and trains in Germany, and who fights under the banner of Germany-based AGON Sports – as did a BoxingScene correspondent.

Keith Idec of Boxing News originally reported news of the appeal.

David Berlin, general counsel and consultant for Salita Promotions (and former executive director of the New York State Athletic Commission), filed the appeal on behalf of Shishkin and Salita, who took issue with a number of developments in the fight – most notably the officiating and scoring.

“The referee didn’t penalize or warn William Scull for hitting behind the head, hitting after the bell, holding – things like that,” Salita said.

The promoter noted that CompuBox numbers showed Shishkin landing 110 punches to Scull’s 80 over the course of the fight, and outlanding or matching his opponent in 8 of 12 rounds. In particular, Salita questioned how judge Rene Fiebig could find the 12th round for Scull, who was outlanded 13-5 in the frame, according to CompuBox, and who seemingly spit out his gumshield in the round but was not penalized by the ref.

Both Fiebig and referee Oliver Brien hail from Germany.

Before the Scull fight, Salita had high hopes of matching Shishkin, 16-1 (10 KOs), with Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, who holds the remaining belts at super middleweight, and he admitted that Saturday’s result killed that notion. “There is no fight without the title,” Salita told BoxingScene. “There is no [Canelo] fight for Shishkin if there is no title.”

The promoter hopes the appeal leads to the German commission overturning the fight result and conducting a review with “a neutral panel of judges.”

Salita, a former amateur and pro fighter, said he views the situation as an opportunity to begin reforming boxing and doing away with so-called hometown decisions.

“The fighters that are athletes at heart, that spend their lifetime as professionals perfecting their craft – the right man has to win,” Salita said. “You know, we outside the ring, the business folks, have to do what they do, to do that for their guy or girl. But inside the ring, justice has to happen.”

Jason Langendorf is the former Boxing Editor of ESPN.com, has contributed to Ringside Seat and the Queensberry Rules, and has written about boxing for Vice, The Guardian, Chicago Sun-Times and other publications. A member of the Boxing Writers Association of America, he can be followed on X and LinkedIn, and emailed at [email protected].