The replacement champion to wear Canelo Alvarez’s stripped super-middleweight belt will be decided in the fall following Tuesday’s agreement by representatives for William Scull and opponent Vladimir Shishkin.
Unified 168-pound and four-division champion Alvarez (61-2-2, 39 KOs) surrendered the belt by opting not to fight Cuba’s mandatory opponent Scull (22-0, 9 KOs), leaving the next-ranked contender, Russia’s Shishkin (16-0, 10 KOs), in line for the shot.
Scull promoter, Germany’s Agon Sports, will stage the fight, and Shishkin promoter Dmitriy Salita said venues in Germany and Florida are being considered along with a date in October.
The bout could potentially be streamed in the U.S. by DAZN.
“I feel good about this fight that’s been a long time coming, especially with a fighter I’ve had since the beginning of his career,” six years ago, Salita said. “Vladimir came to Detroit, trusted us, and step by step he’s progressed. Finalizing this project is a great reward at the end of a long and challenging road.”
Salita expects Shishkin to be the betting favorite. The fighter has trained for several years under Tyson Fury trainer “SugarHill” Steward, and they’ve relocated their camp from Kronk Gym in Detroit to Florida.
“I like that the fight is happening, that the belt is no longer tied up,” Steward said.
Steward said while he hasn’t scouted much of Scull, he takes confidence in the fact Shishkin is constantly training.
“The best kind of fighter to have,” Steward said.
While there was talk over the weekend that WBC top-ranked contender Christian Mbilli is moving toward the front of the line to next fight Alvarez following Canelo’s Sept. 14 bout against WBA mandatory challenger Edgar Berlanga, Salita said he’d like to press for a victorious Shishkin to fight Alvarez for the undisputed championship next year.
“My hope is for Canelo,” Salita said. “The IBF stuck to its rules to allow for this fight, and Vladimir is the better fighter. I’m eager for him to prove that in the ring.”
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