Shakur Stevenson says he’s “concerned” that challenger Floyd Schofield may pull out of his February 22 fight after he didn’t show up for his press conference to discuss his undercard bout on the Artur card Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol 2.
Schofield’s absence
Schofield (18-0, 12 KOs) wasn’t there today, but his promoter, Oscar De La Hoya of Golden Boy Promotions, was, and he spoke volumes for him.
WBC lightweight champion Stevenson will defend against his hand-picked opponent, Schofield, if he shows up next month. It could be one of the most interesting fights on the card because it will allow fans to see if Stevenson has turned over a new leaf. He said he was going to stay in the pocket for this fight and “steal the show” from the other fighters on the card.
“Of course he made a mistake. He’s a good, young fighter, a hungry fighter. I still hope he takes the fight,” said Shakur Stevenson during today press conferencereact to Floyd Schofield’s no show. “I’m a little worried he’s not here. I was a little excited to see him.
“Don’t get butterflies and get out of the fight. I know it’s a tough time. I know you’re facing a lot, but you just have to see. It looked like I was going in, putting my offensive bag and leaving my hands, beating the guys .That’s what I’m going to do on February 22nd.
“You have a hungry young boy. He’s not an old man, washed up, who wants to win, but they don’t have the body or the age to do it. So, this is a hungry lion. He talks. His father talks. I know very confident online. I wish they were here in person so I could see how confident they really are,” Shakur said of Floyd Jr. and his father.
It doesn’t matter that Schofield didn’t appear during the press conference because he will be there on February 22, and will put a lot of pressure on the champion. This is a fight that could go badly for Shakur if his surgically repaired right hand doesn’t hold up under the heat of battle. Try to fight with one hand against Floyd Jr. it will be a nightmare.
“Maybe, yes, because when you do everything you talk about, you have to live up to the hype that you talk about,” Shakur said. “So, yeah, I think the energy will be different, but we’ll see. Zepeda was my first choice. I would have liked to have fought Zepeda. Right now, we’re here with Schofield. He’s the next best option available.”
Stevenson should be happy that the fight against William Zepeda didn’t happen because it is one that could have ended badly for him. There is no way he could have matched Zepeda’s high 100+ punches per round outbox, and he would not have been able to withstand the power of his shots. He would be forced to run, and that would have been a bad look.
“Steal the show”
“What do I do to beat her? Just be myself. Go out there and do it. My goal is to steal the show. That’s why I’m here. I think Cordina is a hell of a fighter. I have nothing bad to say. I have always thought me and him were a good fight. I’m in the fights the fans want to see,” Shakur said.
There’s no way Shakur is going to “steal the show” on February 22 unless all the other fights bomb badly, and he resumes his backup-first style of fighting. Shakur is too chicken to stop using his hit-and-not-get-hit fighting style. So, this kind of excludes Stevenson “stealing the show”.
“The fans didn’t want to see me vs. Cordina. They were all s*** about the fight and thought it was a horrible fight. When they saw me fight Schofield, they got more excited about the fight because he’s a young lion. , and is a natural 135-pounder.
“A lot of people think Cordina is a 130-pounder. I really think he’s a 135-pounder, and I think he’ll feel better at weight. Just because it’s not happening now doesn’t mean it’s not going to happen,” Shakur said.
For a fight with Shakur and Cordina to be in the future. it would take a lot to do. Stevenson’s career would fail. It is the only way the fight could happen because the 33-year-old Cordina is not young, and he is not active with his career.
He last fought on May 8, 2024, being defeated in the eighth round by Anthony Cacace. He has no fights scheduled and does not hope to reach the top spot at 135 for a bout against Stevenson.
