Shishkin plans to win Canelo's stripped belt and then fight him for it
Aug 21, 2024 • 4:49 AM ET
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.”
Lance Pugmire has been a full-time boxing writer for nearly 20 years, serving now as BoxingScene’s U.S. Senior Writer and assistant producer for ProBoxTV’s “BoxingScene Today.” Pugmire capped a near 20-year career at the Los Angeles Times (sports investigations, NHL/MLB beat work, law enforcement/courts and boxing/UFC) to join The Athletic, and then USA Today. Pugmire’s stint at The Times started with the first Israel Vazquez-Rafael Marquez fight and the Oscar De La Hoya-Floyd Mayweather Jnr then-record pay-per-view, leading through a slew of ringside assignments at major bouts, including Mayweather-Pacquiao, Mayweather-Canelo and the Canelo-Golovkin trilogy. Lance’s appreciation for boxing is rooted in his admiration and appreciation for the fighters, gladiators who have proven to be the most forthcoming and candid of all the athletes he has interviewed over a career dating to 1990. Lance was honored to be named the 2022 winner of the Boxing Writers Association of America Nat Fleischer Award for career excellence and he’s collected many BWAA writing awards in categories ranging from breaking news to deep-dive long features.
