Canelo-Scull IBF Purse Bid Canceled. No Official Word on Next Opponent

The IBF purse bid for the undisputed super middleweight title clash between Canelo Alvarez and William Scull has been called off. According to content aggregator, Michael Benson of Talk Sport, the undisputed super middleweight champion, Canelo Alvarez, has reportedly reached an agreement to fight IBF mandatory challenger William Scull, sidestepping the need for a purse bid.

William Scull, 32, is little known, undefeated fighter with a record of 22-0 (9KOs). He earned his mandatory position by defeating Evgeny Shvedenko via unanimous decision in July 2022. Since then, Scull has only participated in two 8-round fights and one 6-rounder, all against lower-level opposition. The prospect of a fight between Canelo and the relatively unknown Scull is a tough sell to boxing fans.

Jake Donovan, a senior writer at Ring Magazine, corroborated the reports of an agreement, but stopped short of saying a fight between the two has been agreed upon. “Told that an agreement was reached between Canelo and William Scull’s team. Purse bid canceled,” Donovan stated. He added that the agreement “does NOT confirm that the fight will take place next, only that the two sides have reached a deal to the point of a purse bid no longer being necessary.”

ESPN’s boxing reporter Salvador Rodriguez suggests that the reported deal might involve Scull stepping aside to allow Canelo to face undefeated contender Edgar Berlanga instead. Berlanga, with a record of 22-0 (17KOs), is seen as a more attractive opponent, though many fans believe he has little chance against Canelo. A step-aside deal would enable Canelo to retain his undisputed crown while avoiding a fight with the less marketable Scull.

AGON Sports, Scull’s promoter, confirmed the agreement in an official statement, but was not forthcoming with the specific details of the agreement. In the statement AGON promoter Ingo Volkmann said, “Just a few hours before the purse bid rights for the world championship fight between AGON’s William Scull and Canelo Alvarez, ordered by the IBF, was to be auctioned, an agreement has been reached! We are happy that we were able to reach an agreement with TGB. We have agreed to remain silent about the details and cannot announce anything else at this time. In due course, however, the Canelo team will publish corresponding information first.”

Details of the agreement are expected to be disclosed in the coming weeks. No official announcements have been made by Canelo or his team. The situation remains fluid.

In the meantime, the boxing public continues to call for a showdown between Canelo and David Benavidez. Benavidez has long been vocal about his desire to fight Canelo, who has so far shown little interest in the matchup. In an exclusive interview with Brunch Boxing(🎧 https://open.spotify.com/episode/3M3vRhKxJTVH9xctCIoWuE?si=zZL4ySHDQGmC_lkRLCRvPQ), Benavidez did not hold back his criticism of Canelo. “Canelo’s holding all the belts hostage. I’ve been the #1 contender for the past 3 years. I’m not saying the fight’s not going to happen, but as of right now, it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen.”

When asked if he believes Canelo is avoiding him, Benavidez was unequivocal. “I definitely think he’s afraid of me,” he asserted. “They were offering that guy a lot of money to fight me. If I was a pushover or if I was such an easy fight, he would’ve collected the bag already and took me out… If I was such a big loudmouth, he would’ve come shut me up already, but he knows I can’t do that.”

Benavidez recently made his light heavyweight debut, securing a unanimous decision victory over former lineal and unified light heavyweight champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk. Despite this move up in weight, Benavidez remains committed to pursuing a fight with Canelo, telling Brunch Boxing he would “100%” return to super middleweight for the opportunity.