Floyd Schofield has pulled out of his fight against WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson on Saturday night in Riyadh. Schofield (18-0, 12 KOs) is ill, and Stevenson’s team is quickly looking for a replacement.
I was afraid of this. When Shakur chose Schofield based on his trash-talking ability on social media, he overlooked the experience factor. Floyd had never been on the big stage, and it was foolish to put an unproven fighter under the spotlight in a high-pressure situation when he’d never fought at this level.
Last-Minute Scramble
Stevenson (22-0, 10 KOs) will stay on the card, but the two replacement opponents are considered below satisfactory. According to The Ring, these are the two:
– Moussa Gholam (22-1, 13 KOs)
– Josh Padley (15-0, 4 KOs)
Of those two, Padley has the better resume. He recently defeated Mark Chamberlain by a 10-round unanimous decision on September 21st at Wembley Stadium in London.
If Shakur and his promoter, Eddie Hearn, select one of these two fighters as the substitute, Turki Alalshikh needs to place the fight on the prelim portion of the event away from the main card. Putting it on YouTube would be a nice gesture because boxing fans won’t be angry at seeing Shakur fight a second-tier fighter who has no business being in the ring with him.
Shakur hasn’t fought great opposition throughout his professional career, particularly since moving to the lightweight division in 2023. That’s why it’s hard to take him seriously when he says he deserves a fight against Gervonta Davis and is one of the best fighters in the sport. Shakur’s weak resume doesn’t bear that out
“I’m ready to capture the moment. I’m focused. I put in a great training, and it’s my time,” said Shakur Stevenson to Top Rank Boxing at today’s Grand Arrivals in Riyadh for his fight on Saturday night.
“I’m ready to show the world I’m a superstar. I think I’m one of the best fighters in the sport of boxing. The world will know on February 22nd,” said Stevenson, bragging about himself.
Last Updated on 02/18/2025
