For William Scull, there has only been one goal for years: to get the fight against Canelo that he has long deserved! BOXSPORT traces the journey of the AGON pro who wants to surprise the boxing world on May 3.
Times Square in New York, it is the evening of March 5. William Scull is standing in the middle of the famous boulevard in the heart of Manhattan. Fascinated by the magic of this iconic square, William and his trainer Franquis Aldama look around and shoot souvenir videos on their cell phones. Many great world careers have taken off here on Broadway. And if the boxing pro from the Berlin AGON stable has his way, this will soon be the case for him too. Because Scull, the IBF super middleweight champion, has come to the Big Apple to present himself to the assembled boxing world.
David against Goliath
The following day, the first major press conference for the “Fatal Fury” fight on May 3 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, takes place in New York. Scull’s opponent in the duel for the undisputed world championship: none other than Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. The superstar holds the WBC, WBA and WBO titles – and wants to be crowned undisputed champion again against the Cuban in the 76.203 kilogram limit.
Even if Scull is assigned the role of “David”, he sees himself as anything but without a chance in the duel against “Goliath” Canelo. “As the new undisputed world champion, I’ll be back on the cover of your BOXSPORT issue,” he says with a smile. “This is the first time I’ve been in the game at this level – this experience alone means an incredible amount to me. I’ve been hoping for this for a long time, but it’s been worth the wait. Now history will be made on May 3.”
But to this day, most boxing fans still ask themselves: Who is William Scull? The 32-year-old was born in Matanzas, Cuba. “It really is a paradise,” enthuses William. “There’s nothing better than talking about my home town, because it’s full of life and natural beauty. The people there are welcoming and the landscape is breathtaking.” His mother, nephew and the rest of the family live there, keeping in touch mainly by phone.
Professional in Argentina
William was eight years old when he started boxing in the coastal town and Franquis Aldama became his discoverer and promoter. As an amateur, Scull fought 380 fights, became Cuban champion and won numerous international tournaments. However, he was unable to switch to the pros in his home country. In 2016, he decided to seek his fortune elsewhere. His destination at the time: Argentina. “There are a lot of professional boxers there,” he explains in an interview with BOXSPORT. “And it was the country that gave us the opportunity to leave Cuba.” We – that is, he and Aldama, because his coach went with him to Argentina. The duo worked hard and successfully in Mendoza in the west of the country, with Scull becoming South American super-medium champion. “We spent a total of three years there and lived together. It was an incredibly formative time.”
Partly because Aldama, who was a member of the Cuban national team coaching staff, keeps calling on him. …
Text: Frank Schwantes
You can read the full story about William Scull in the new ePaper of the BOXSPORT app!
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