Jacob Bank stops Canelo opponent William Scull late in Global title fight
Undefeated Dane Jacob Bank (18-0, 10 KOs) broke down the awkward, elusive William Scull (23-1, 9 KOs), then dropped him repeatedly to score a late 12-round stoppage to retain the WBO Global super middleweight title and his perfect record.
It’s Cuban stylist Scull’s second successive loss, after the Berlin-based boxer was unanimously decisioned by Mexican Saul Canelo Alvarez in May 2025.
Staged at Sydbank Arena in Kolding, the local lad started cautiously in his home city. The early rounds were measured and low on output, with both fighters probing, neither one committing to sustained exchanges or attacks.
As an undisputed title contender, 33-year-old Scull’s experience showed early, but that changed in the sixth round when unbeaten Bank broke through with pressure and timing, scoring two knockdowns that shifted the shape of the fight.
From that point on, the former IBF world super-middleweight champion struggled to recover. His output dropped, his movement slowed, and he absorbed long stretches of unanswered work.
24-year-old Bank stayed patient and disciplined. He did not get overzealous and try to close the show by rushing the finish, instead continuing to push Scull back intelligently, mixing up his shots and forcing exchanges at a higher pace that he knew Scull could no longer manage to match.
Additional knockdowns followed as the rounds wore on, with Scull spending more time reacting than initiating.
The end came very, late, with just 23 seconds remaining on the clock. Bank dropped Scull yet again, prompting referee Mikael Hook to step in and stop the contest.
Bank improved to 18-0 with 10 knockouts and is now 4-0, 3 KOs in WBO Global title fights. Ranked WBO #4, Bank is on the brink of a world title shot.
It was announced today that Hamzah Sheeraz would face Alem Begic for the vacant WBO world super-middleweight title in May. Bank will be high up in the queue for the winner of that fight, but perhaps he may want to deliver another dominant defence to elevate his ranking even further.
Undercard Results
Dina Thorslund took the vacant WBC Interim featherweight title via 10-round decision over Almudar Alvarez (100-90, 99-91 x2).
Oliver Zaren was awarded a controversial KO over David Benitez after a disputed knockdown 40 seconds into round two; fight ended inconclusively.
Costas Nanga stopped Vlad Belujski at 2:27 of round six after three knockdowns; slow breakdown raised questions.
Pasquale Barile clearly outpointed Maher Katib over eight.
Melissa Mortensen defended her EBU Silver belt vs Briton Tori-Ellis Willetts with a knockdown and points win.
