Mexican undisputed super middleweight (168 lbs) champion Canelo Alvarez has reportedly agreed terms with International Boxing Federation (IBF) mandatory challenger William Scull, yet for some particular reason it cannot be deduced whether this means Scull has agreed to a step-aside deal1 or whether the two will head into the ring. While the purse bid proceedings―that had been postponed several times over the past few weeks and were finally set to commence today―have been cancelled, the IBF have refused to substantiate on whether their mandated fight will actually happen.
The ongoing situation between Canelo Alvarez (61-2-2, 39 KO’s) and Cuban contender William Scull (22-0, 9 KO’s) continues to perplex onlookers as the latest reports fail to clarify whether the two will actually fight. Last month, the IBF ordered both fighters to face each other in a mandated bout which was followed not long after by reports that Alvarez would vacate his title.
While this has not yet been proven true, the purse bid proceedings that followed after the two fighters failed to reach an agreement was postponed several times over the past month before a final date for June 18th [today] was settled. However, these purse bid proceedings have now been cancelled according to boxing reporter Jake Donovan.
“Told that an agreement was reached between Canelo and William Scull’s team,” Donovan posted on Twitter/X today, “Purse bid canceled. HOWEVER… 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.“
The lack of information surrounding what has actually happened can be directly attributed to the IBF who was responsible for organizing the purse bid proceedings that were being held today. As the IBF cancelled this same purse bid, it is reasonable to conclude that the sanctioning body knows why this has occurred yet the IBF has refused to share what happened.
The IBF, which has existed since 1983, has developed a notorious reputation over the past decade for their lack of transparency, purposefully withholding information on mandates, purse bid proceedings and other such information only to relay them to a select few individuals.
By keeping this information close at hand, the IBF is able to avoid steep criticism regarding any controversial decision they make while at the same time continuing to posture as a legitimate sanctioning body as they operate in the same vein as other sanctioning bodies by sanctioning matches, ordering bouts and making their titles available for boxing bouts.
It will likely be clarified in the upcoming days which decision has been made by Alvarez’ and Scull’s teams in regards to their IBF-ordered bout.
- an arrangement where a boxer―usually a mandatory challenger―agrees to step aside and allow another fighter to take their place in a bout, usually in exchange for a financial compensation or some other form of benefit ↩︎
