“Shakur would never fight Kid, just like Tank would never fight Kid,” Schofield Sr. told MillCity Boxing.
Schofield Sr. insisted his criticism was not personal towards Shakur and argued that top fighters were simply chasing bigger paydays in the bigger leagues rather than taking hazardous fights for less money at lightweight.
“They were getting bigger fights at 140 pounds for 20, 15 million,” Schofield Sr. said. “Why come in here where there’s a risk of getting knocked out for much less money?”
The most essential part of Schofield Sr.’s argument revolved around Shakur’s lack of knockout power and whether he would be able to keep his aggressive punches away for 12 rounds.
“Shakur only had 11 knockouts,” Schofield Sr. said. “There is no way he would fight someone like Kid and be able to last 12 rounds.”
Schofield senior believes his son’s combination of speed, movement and power would pose major stylistic problems for Stevenson.
“How could he sustain a powerful puncher like Kid that gave him movement and speed?” Schofield Sr. said. “That would be the wrong style for Shakur.”
Schofield senior also criticized what he sees as current boxing matchmaking, arguing that too many fighters avoid tough opponents to protect undefeated records and maximize earnings.
“There is no way you can build a legacy by skating horrendously, picking players,” Schofield Sr. said.
Stevenson has recently been linked to possible future fights against Devin Haney and Gervonta Davis as Schofield continues to establish himself in the lightweight division.
Shakur also has a built-in defense against criticism that he never fought Schofield, as the two fighters were already scheduled to fight on February 22, 2025, before Schofield was pulled from the fight during fight week in Riyad, around February 18-19.
Stevenson later questioned whether Schofield was fully prepared for the fight, while Schofield’s team maintained that the withdrawal was related to medical issues and the committee’s decision to remove him from the card.
Dan Ambrose is a boxing journalist at Boxing News 24, respected for his direct analysis and extensive coverage of the global fight landscape. His reports focus on the most essential fights, division development and the most discussed stories in sports.