Floyd Schofield withdrew from his fight with Dazn PPV with a lightweight WBC Shakur Stevenson champion on Saturday evening in Riyadh. Schofield (18-0, 12 KO) is diseased, and Stevenson’s syndrome is quickly looking for a replacement.
I was afraid of it. When Shakur chose Schofield based on his ability to fall on trash on social media, the experience factor was overlooked. Floyd was never on a vast stage and it was stupid to put an unverified warrior on the lightweight of the headlights in a high pressure situation when he never fought at this level.
Will come at the last minute
Stevenson (22-0, 10 KO) will remain on the card, but two substitute opponents are considered satisfactory. According to RingThese are two:
Of these two, Padley has a better CV. He recently defeated Marek Chamberlain with a unanimous decision on September 21 at Wembley Stadium in London.
If Shakur and his promoter, Eddie Hearn, choose one of these two fighters as a deputy, Turks Alalshikh must put the fight in the initial part of the event away from the main card. Placing it on YouTube would be a nice gesture, because boxing fans will not be enraged, seeing Shakur fighting the second level warrior who does not have a company in the ring with him. Must Brave this fight so deep on the undercard that nobody sees it – no About sight, from the mind.
Shakur did not fight the great opposition throughout his professional career, especially since moving to the lightweight division in 2023. That is why it is arduous to take him seriously when he says he deserves to fight Gervont Davis and is one of the best warriors in sport. The tender CV Shakura does not carry it.
Shakur’s choice, our problem
This is what you get when you are an opponent for the wrong reasons. Shakur admitted that he chose Floyd Schofield only because of his ability to speak garbage. It was purely superficial reasons. He never beat anyone at the highest level to evaluate the title.
It was a choice of Stevenson. He could choose many options, such as one of those killers: Andy Cruz, Ernesto Mercado, Raymond Muratalla and Edwin de Los Santos. Schofield wanted and this is happening. That is why it is arduous to like Shakur. He boasts himself 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, but then he never fights with a good one. He is wrong with this sport. If you are Turks Alaashikh, it would be a good idea to leave Shakur from his future cards and focus on risk.
“I am ready to capture this moment. I am focused. I put in a great training and this is my time – said Shakur Stevenson Boxing boxing On today’s great newcomers to Riyadh for his fight on Saturday evening.
“I am ready to show the world that I am a superstar. I think I am one of the best warriors in boxing sport. The world will know on February 22, “Stevenson said, boasting of himself.
Gervonta Davis is set to return to action in the new year and ‘Tank’ may well do so in an immediate world title challenge, with one fighter willing to offering him a shot at his old belt under one condition.
Davis has held titles at super-featherweight and super-lightweight but was most recently the WBA lightweight champion, until his prolonged stretch of inactivity – since March 2025 – caused the Baltimore knockout artist to be stripped of his world title.
Instead, the 31-year-old has been named as the WBA’s ‘champion-in-recess’ in the 135lb division, with Floyd Schofield and Lucas Bahdi scheduled to compete for the full vacant WBA crown next weekend in Chicago.
Speaking ahead of that fight, Schofield told Fight Hub TV that he would be more than willing to defend the title against Davis, if he is able to overcome Bahdi and become the new lightweight world champion at the age of just 24 years old.
“I’m not going to lie. If Tank did want to come back and was like, ‘I want that fight and I want that belt back,’ I have no problem with it because he is the so-called boogeyman.
“Like I have always been saying, if you get Tank on your record, if you beat Tank, then there is not a lot that people can say.
“Until then, I am looking to collect all of the belts at 135lbs and to then go on to 140lbs.”
Schofield-Bahdi will take place at the Wintrust Arena on Saturday, October 10, with Ricardo Sandoval defending his unified WBC and WBA flyweight world titles against fellow Mexican Sergio Mendoza Cordova in the co-main event.
Either Tyson Fury or Anthony Joshua will join Lennox Lewis as the second three-time heavyweight world champion from the UK when they collide in later this year, and ‘The Lion’ has now updated his prediction for the contest.
After prolonged negotiations and their respective ‘warm-up’ bouts against Mariusz Wach and Kristian PrengaFury and Joshua are finally set to enter the ring against each other. Wednesday’s launch press conference saw the two men come face to face for the first time, following what was a surprisingly friendly affair.
Having witnessed those fights back in July, Lewis admitted that he was favouring ‘The Gypsy King’ to come out on top in the long-awaited bout, believing his two most recent showings to be more impressive than those of Joshua, as per DAZN.
“Fury is closer but both are shadows of their former selves.I’dside with Fury,
“He showed me more in his two fights [against Arslanbek Makhmudov and Wach] than Joshua has recently. He boxed a YouTuber [Jake Paul]now boxed a guy [Prenga] who knocked him down twice and next faces Fury? That’s a big step up.”
However, at the launch press conference for the fight between the duo – which will now be for the WBA (Super) heavyweight world title – Lewis declared that the bout will be determined by punch accuracy.
“For me, the most accurate puncher out of the both of them [will win]. Tyson is an accurate puncher and ‘AJ’ throws a great one-two.
“He has caught many people with the one-two. That is his most accurate combination, to me.”
Fury-Joshua will take place at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on December 11, with Amir Khan now being linked to an appearance in the co-main event.
Simon Jordan dismissed Rick Reeno’s praise of Dana White as the king of combat sports promoters, insisting that the UFC boss’s corporate profits mean little to the athletes risking their health in the ring.
The disagreement exposed two different measures of success: building a lucrative promotion and ensuring the fighters receive a fair share of what they generate.
Reeno, The Ring’s chief executive, chose White over Eddie Hearn when asked who belonged at the top of the promotional business. He pointed to the UFC’s growth and the strength of a brand that, for many viewers, has become interchangeable with MMA itself.
Jordan accepted White’s achievements in that sport but rejected the comparison within boxing.
“If we’re talking about in the boxing world, Eddie Hearn is light years above Dana White in the boxing world,” Jordan told talkSPORT. “Whatever you say about Hearn, and I have lots to say about him, he will pay his fighters. He will pay his fighters fairly. And he will pay them promptly.”
Evaluating Dana White’s boxing venture requires looking past his promotional hype. A promoter can draw massive crowds while quietly shortchanging the talent in the ring.
Reeno countered that every promoter wants to make money. He also argued that some MMA fighters were earning $50 fighting in bars before the UFC created greater opportunities.
That defense explains the value of building a market. It leaves Jordan’s question about compensation unanswered. What fighters earned before a business became successful does not settle what they should receive once it secures major commercial deals.
Jordan’s argument carries flaws as well. Eddie Hearn holds decades of boxing experience, yet that background does not automatically guarantee he will outmaneuver White moving forward.
Reeno highlighted White’s ability to tap directly into UFC and WWE audiences to build a Tyson Fury versus Anthony Joshua fight. That crossover audience provides massive leverage.
The real issue centers on how much money actually trickles down to the fighters. Reeno argued that Dana White knows how to expand commercial revenue better than anyone else. Jordan questioned if revenue growth by itself justifies giving him top billing.
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