AGON boxer William Scull’s victory over Vladimir Shishkin in the fight for the vacant IBF super middleweight title continues to cause discussion. However, there will be no rematch for the time being.
After Scull won the title on October 19, 2024 in Falkensee by unanimous decision of the judges, the team of the defeated Shishkin filed an appeal. This has now been rejected by the IBF. Shishkin’s team criticized the performance of the officials in particular. It was claimed that the judges had shown bias and that German referee René Fiebig had favored Scull’s home advantage. In addition, illegal actions by Scull, such as punches after the gong
The panel observed several minor infractions from both fighters. The panel observed several blows to the back of the head during the fight, with Shishkin throwing more blows to the back of the head than Scull. Most of these punches occurred during the clinches. Neither fighter gained an advantage or disrupted the flow of the fight. The panel had no objections to Mr. Brien’s decision not to deduct points.
or the deliberate spitting out of the face mask were not sanctioned.
It appears that Scull’s back was turned to Mr. Brien when his mouthpiece came out. It is very likely that Mr. Brien did not see it. Mr. Scull retreated to the ropes, which represented a “pause in the action” or the first opportune moment to replace the mouthpiece without interfering with the immediate action of the fight. Mr. Brien did not “conspire” with Scull, he applied the Uniform Boxing Rules.
According to the IBF analysis, there were no grossly incorrect decisions. Although Fiebig’s scoring of the twelfth round was criticized, it did not change the overall result.
The majority of the panel disagreed with Mr. Fiebig’s scoring for the twelfth round. Had Mr. Fiebig scored the twelfth round for Shishkin, Scull would have won 115-114 on his scorecard.
An immediate rematch, as requested by Shishkin’s management, will not take place for the time being. Instead, Shishkin will remain in second place in the rankings. According to AGON manager Horst-Peter Strickrodt, Scull will initially aim to defend his title in April 2025. After that, Shishkin could get another shot at the title.
Text by Robin Josten