A series of right hands did the damage as Scull (24-2, 10 KOs) stopped Evander Castillo (22-6, 20 KOs) in the fourth round of their scheduled eight-rounder on Friday in Germany.

The stoppage, his first since November 2021, marked a long-awaited first victory since scoring the IBF 168-pound title in August 2024 with a unanimous decision win against Vladimir Shishkin.

In May last year, the 34-year-old Cuban was handed the opportunity of a lifetime to face Canelo Alvarez for the undisputed super middleweight title in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The decade-long pro delivered a dud of a performance in what proved a dull and uneventful fight en route to a lopsided decision (119-109, 116-112, 115-113), one he has long maintained believing he did enough to win.

Although the veteran spoke with renewed enthusiasm about his fighting future, matters only worsened for the former beltholder. His return in January was a rough one against The Ring's No. 8 super middleweight contender Jacob Bank, who bossed proceedings early and ultimately scored a 12th-round stoppage victory at his expense.

Manouk Akopyan is The Ring’s lead writer. Follow him on X and Instagram: @ManoukAkopyan.