AGON boss Ingo Volckmann is more than satisfied with the performance of super middleweight William Scull in the undisputed duel against Canelo Alvarez.
Cuban super-middleweight William Scull (23-1) delivered a remarkable performance against boxing superstar Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (64-2-2) at the big PPV event in Riyadh on Saturday night. The AGON boxer went into the fight for the undisputed world championship as the clear underdog. But Scull showed an impressively disciplined and technically clean performance over twelve rounds and brought the Mexican champion to the brink of despair.
Confrontation at eye level
The fight in the ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, developed into a tactical battle of equals. Canelo dominated the center of the ring for long stretches, but had great difficulty landing clear punches against the agile and defensively strong Scull. The AGON protégé repeatedly let the favorite hit nothing and made clever pinpricks himself – especially with targeted uppercuts from close range.
Despite an extremely close fight, the judges saw Canelo unanimously in front (115-113, 116-112, 119-109). A decision that raised questions in view of the course of the fight, particularly in the clarity of the highest verdict. According to CompuBox statistics, Scull even had the higher number of hits at times.
“Don’t let them get me down!”
“I stuck to our plan, implemented it and was in control of the fight. I box in the Cuban style, counter and move backwards. I felt I did enough to win the fight. The result is therefore disappointing for me, but I won’t let it get me down!” said William Scull after the fight.
“William proved today that he belongs at the top of the world,” said AGON boss and promoter Ingo Volckmann. “He has outgrown himself, neutralized one of the biggest names in boxing as far as possible and earned worldwide respect in my eyes. The tactics worked right from the start. He ran Canelo into the void several times and made him desperate. William should have done more in the late rounds, but we will all learn from that. It was still a great performance that we will continue to build on.”
Strong statement
Scull had been passed over as a mandatory challenger several times over the years. It was only after he secured the vacant IBF World Championship title in October 2024 with a narrow points victory over Vladimir Shishkin that Canelo once again focused on him – not least because he considered the last missing belt to be a potential mega-fight against Terence Crawford.
The fact that Scull seized this historic moment with such a courageous performance is a strong statement for him personally, for AGON Sports and for German boxing.
Text: Press release / AGON Sports