William Scull and Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez are gearing up for their big fight on May 3 in Saudi Arabia. But a recent sparring session in Mallorca, Spain has stirred up some controversy.
Nigel Benn, father of boxer Conor Benn, claims that Scull gave up during a sparring match with his son. According to Nigel, the first four rounds were even, but Scull started to falter under pressure in rounds five through seven. Then, in the eighth round, things took an unexpected turn.
"This was William Scull, the IBF champion. And then came round eight and Tony (Sims) and I looked at each other and thought he gave up, he just stopped. He couldn't go on after eight rounds, we were supposed to do 10."
Nigel Benn didn't hold back in praising his son's performance, saying:
"My little one just damaged the IBF world champion and I'm so confident that this doesn't get to the fourth round"
But there's another side to this story. Ingo Volckmann, Scull's promoter, has a different take on what happened. He says the sparring session was always meant to be eight rounds, not ten. Volckmann also pointed out that Scull's decision to rest on the ropes isn't unusual. Boxers often do this in both training and actual fights.
Right now, Scull is in Saudi Arabia, getting ready for his big fight with 'Canelo' Alvarez. This sparring session has got people talking. Some think it means Scull isn't at his best. Others say it's just part of his training strategy and doesn't mean much for the actual fight.
Whatever the truth is, one thing's for sure – the boxing world will be watching closely when Scull and Alvarez step into the ring on May 3.
