William Scull is eager to have his first shot at a title soon. A purse bid has been scheduled for the IBF mandatory title clash between Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and Scull on June 6 as reported by The Ring. The fight was mandated on May 13, but discussions fell through just nine days later.
Scull’s promoter, AGON Sports & Events, notified the IBF about the stalled negotiations, prompting a swift appeal for a hearing on behalf of the undefeated challenger. As per IBF regulations, a purse bid can be initiated at any stage of negotiations, with the winning bid favoring Alvarez 65-35 as the defending champion.
The certainty of the fight moving forward is in question due to various factors. Alvarez, the 168-pound Ring champion, has yet to fulfill mandatory defenses for his WBA and IBF belts. Despite being mandatory when he fought Callum Smith in December 2020, Alvarez has not defended his titles in mandatory bouts.
Edgar Berlanga was declared the WBA mandatory challenger in April, raising speculations about the next contender for Alvarez’s 168-pound championship. Whether a secondary title defense satisfies the requirements of a WBA mandatory challenge is a matter for the WBA and IBF to resolve.
Scull earned his mandatory challenger status after defeating Evgeny Shvedenko in July 2022. The Cuban fighter secured a unanimous decision victory in the title eliminator and has since competed in three more matches. He stands as a potential adversary for Alvarez, pitted against Berlanga and other contenders. Alvarez may need to decide on his unified reign, potentially facing the loss of his IBF belt if he fails to comply with mandatory defense obligations per IBF stipulations.
This scenario echoes Alvarez’s history with IBF mandatory bouts, which led to him being stripped of the middleweight title in 2019. The repercussions of the upcoming purse bid and the determinations made by the sanctioning bodies will shape the next moves for Alvarez and prospective challengers like Scull and Berlanga.
