Golden Boy promoter Oscar De La Hoya says it was a little “too ambitious” for his fighter, Floyd ‘Kid Austin’ Schofield Jr., to take the fight with WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson this early in his four-year pro career.
De La Hoya says Schofield’s dad, Floyd Sr, was “adamant” that his son must fight Shakur (22-0, 10 KOs) next, so now he’s scheduled to challenge him on February 22nd in the giant card in Riyadh.
Payday Hustle?
If the move backfires on Schofield Jr’s part, De La Hoya will at least give himself some cover from the backlash by telling the media ahead of time that he was against the idea in the first place for the 22-year-old to challenge Shakur.
Many fans believe that Schofield Jr. and his dad are just in it for the money, wanting to get the bag without believing they’ll win against the three-division world champion Stevenson.
When Kid Austin loses, he’ll likely pick up a couple of wins against the same low-level opposition he’s built his 18-0 record on and then try to talk his way into another world title shot for another payday. In other words, it’s just a hustle.
The way Schofield looked in his last fight against second-tier fighter Rene Tellez Giron, getting dropped by him, means he doesn’t belong in the same ring as Shakur or anyone in the top 15 at lightweight. Floyd Jr. performed terribly in that fight.
De La Hoya’s Warning
“I was the first one to say, ‘We have to wait. We have a plan for you, we have a strategy for you,’ but the father was very adamant. The father, in particular, was the one that wanted this fight,” Oscar De La Hoya told Fight Hub TV about wanting Floyd Schofield to continue to develop before fighting for a world title.
“For my taste, it was a little too ambitious, but they know exactly what they’re doing. The father [Schofield Sr] knows his son. We know his abilities inside the ring. Is it too early? Maybe. Is it the right time? Who knows. Only Kid Austin knows inside the ring that night.”
Boxing fans on social media are split on whether it’s a good thing for the 22-year-old, four-year pro Schofield to challenge Shakur for a world title this early in his career. While some fans favor the idea, seeing Floyd Jr. as showing courage, others think it’s foolish and that he’s skipping the development part of his career.
Learning On The Job
Some fighters went straight to the top early in their careers, but they came from excellent amateur backgrounds. Schofield wasn’t a great amateur. He’s learning on the top as a pro, and still hasn’t fought a contender.
De La Hoya, who was 20 when he won his first world title in his 12th professional fight in 1994, was also a 1992 Olympic gold medalist. Schofield doesn’t have the same amateur pedigree.
