Canelo Alvarez Undecided For IBF Title With Mandatory Opponent William Scull

Untitled super middleweight champion, Canelo Alvarez has not decided to relinquish his IBF 168-lb title in order to get past his little-known challenger William Scull.
According to Dan Rafael, the Mexican star Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) has not given up or decided to relinquish his IBF title. He is currently on vacation in Italy.
There is a purse bid scheduled for Thursday for the Canelo vs. Scull, and it will be interesting to see what the winner puts down. It would be a maintenance level title defense for Canelo to keep him busy.
Strategic considerations for Canelo
This fight is not expected to do well on PPV, as the 31-year-old Cuban-born Scull (22-0, 9 KOs) is unknown, even among die-hard boxing fans.
The IBF made Scull mandatory for Canelo, his best win over Sean Hemphill, another fighter who has been questioned by a few fans. If Canelo chooses to defend against Scull, the fight will likely take place in September.
Another theory as to why Canelo might want to hold on to his IBF title against Scull is that a fight between him and Terence Crawford could be huge if he is still the undisputed 168 lb champion when that match is played.
Crawford is looking for a chance to fight for the undisputed goal of trying to become a three-time four-time champion. He won’t do that if Canelo leaves the IBF belt. It is rare for casual boxing fans; for die-hard fans, they want to see Canelo still hold the undisputed champion when he faces the Nebraska native.
Scull’s last wins:
– Sean Hemphill
– Christian Fabian Rios
– Abel Nicolas Adriel
– Yevgeny Shevchenko
“Canelo’s IBF mandatory challenger against William Scull will take place on Thursday. I sent a message to Canelo and he said that he has not come out or decided on his plans, despite reports to the contrary that I did not quote him. His comment to me: ‘No decision yet.’ He has been visiting Italy,” said Dan Rafael to X.
Berlanga: A Possible Alternative?
Edgar Berlanga is Canelo’s WBA challenger, and is believed to be one of the possibilities for his September fight. In terms of fighting significant opposition, Berlanga is no better than Scull. Berlanga’s progress is filled with mysterious second-tier opposition, and his 22-0 progress has been increased by 100%.
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