Boxing News
Title Fights From Around the World: William Scull, Shurretta Metcalf and Dina Thorslund Record Wins
Title Fights From Around the World: William Scull, Shurretta Metcalf and Dina Thorslund Record Wins
Today, boxing world title fights take place around the globe and are more accessible to watch than ever before. Sometimes, championship bouts do not receive as much attention and go underreported. Big Fight Weekend commits to writing about boxing news, previews, and recaps. As such, the site now has a recurring segment on championship bouts – from around the world from the past week.
The focus of these pieces will be on clashes ranging from atomweight to heavyweight that had the WBA, WBC, IBF, and/or WBO titles on the line. This edition of “Title Fights From Around the World” consists of three recaps. In Germany and the United States, new champions were crowned. Over in Denmark, a unified titlist made a successful defence of her belts.
Title Fights From Around the World
William Scull Decisions Vladimir Shishkin to Become World Champion
Note: William Scull and Vladimir Shishkin fought on October 19. Big Fight Weekend is including it in this week’s edition of “Title Fights From Around the World.”
William Scull (23-0, 9 KOs) became a super middleweight champion with a unanimous decision win over Vladimir Shishkin (16-1, 10 KOs).
Scores for the contest were 116-112, 116-113 and 115-113. With the victory, Scull becomes the latest to hold the IBF super middleweight world title. Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez was the previous titleholder, but he was stripped of the belt due to not making a mandatory defence against Scull.
The fight headlined an October 19 copromotion between Kuc Boxing Promotion and AGON Sports & Events at the Stadthalle in Falkensee, Germany. Boxing fans in Germany could catch the action live on Bild+. Those in the United States, the United Kingdom and Latin America could do so with DAZN.
It was a bout where Scull moved off the back foot and Shishkin pressed forward for the most part. Unfortunately, the fight lacked action but Scull’s style allowed him to avoid getting hit and win rounds. In the twelfth, Shishkin hurt his opponent early in the round, causing Scull to hold on and do whatever he could to make it to the final bell. Despite being hurt with over two minutes to go, the Cuban managed to remain on his feet. All three judges saw him doing enough to win the fight, thus making Scull the new IBF super middleweight champion.
Shurretta Metcalf Defeats Miyo Yoshida Once More
Shurretta Metcalf (14-4-1, 2 KOs, 1 NC) not only just beat Miyo Yoshida (17-5, 0 KOs) for a second time, but also became a bantamweight champion in the process.
Metcalf won a unanimous decision with scores of 99-91, 97-93 and 96-94. With the victory, she is now the IBF bantamweight champion. In November last year, Metcalf also won a unanimous decision over Yoshida.
The fight headlined an October 23 DiBella Entertainment card at The Theater at Madison Square Garden. Boxing fans around the world could catch the action live on the ProBox TV YouTube channel. It could also be watched on the ProBox TV website.
Metcalf would jab from the distance, something that kept her opponent at bay while also allowing her to set up the overhand right. Yoshida pressed forward and also had success in landing her jab. It was a back-and-forth fight where both fighters had their moments. Over several rounds, Metcalf would start well while Yoshida would come back with a strong finish. In the end, the judges preferred the work of Metcalf with her walking away with the IBF bantamweight title.
Dina Thorslund Retains Titles Against Terumi Nuki
Dina Thorslund (23-0, 9 KOs) remained the unified bantamweight champion with a unanimous decision win over Terumi Nuki (15-6, 10 KOs).
Scores were 99-91 across the board. With the victory, Thorslund remains the WBC and WBO bantamweight titleholder. This was her third time defending both titles since becoming unified in September last year.
The fight headlined an October 25 TK Promotion card at the Gråkjær Arena in Holstebro, Denmark. Boxing fans in Denmark could catch the action live on SPORT LIVE. There was no broadcasting for those outside the country.
Thorslund was better in every department, outclassing her opponent over 10 rounds. Despite her best efforts, Nuki had very little for the reigning champion. Thorslund had little trouble landing her combinations and avoiding punches that came her way. In the fourth, Nuki was stunned by an uppercut but was able to make it to the end of the round and remained on her feet till the end of the fight. In the end, Thorslund’s abilities allowed her to dominate and remain unified bantamweight champion.
Currently writing out of Toronto, Canada, Saadeq first became a boxing fan while living in Doha, Qatar. Looking to become more involved in the sport, he began writing about boxing and has had work published in outlets such as Seconds Out and Boxing Social. He looks forward to continue covering boxing on Big Fight Weekend.