Golden Boy promoter Oscar De La Hoya says it was a little “too ambitious” for his fighter, Floyd ‘Kid Austin’ Schofield Jr., to take on WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson early in his professional career of four years.
De La Hoya says Schofield’s father, Floyd Sr., was “perfect” that his son should fight Shakur (22-0, 10 KOs) next, so he is now scheduled to challenge him on Feb. 22 on the juggernaut card in Riyadh .
Payday Hustle?
If the move backfires on Schofield Jr’s part, De La Hoya will at least give himself cover from the backlash by telling the media beforehand 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 father are only in it for the money, they want to take the bag without believing they will win against three-division world champion Stevenson.
When Kid Austin loses, he’ll likely pick up a couple of wins against the same low-level opposition that built his 18-0 record and then try to talk his way into another world title for another payday. In other words, it’s just a both.
The way Schofield looked in his last fight against second-ranked fighter Rene Tellez Giron, which was dropped by him, means he doesn’t belong in the same ring as Shakur or anyone in the top 15 at light weight. Floyd Jr. he did terribly in that fight.
De La Hoya’s warning
“I was the first to say, ‘We have to wait.’ We have a plan for you, we have a strategy for you,” but the father was very firm. The father, in particular, was the one who wanted this fight,” said Oscar De La Hoya Fight Hub TV of 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 are doing. The father (Schofield Sr) knows his son. We know his abilities in the ring. Is it too soon? Maybe. Is it the right time? Who he knows. Only Kid Austin knows in the ring that night.”
Boxing fans on social media are divided on whether it’s a good thing for the 22-year-old Schofield to challenge Shakur for a world title four years early in his career. While some fans favor the idea, seeing Floyd Jr. as he shows courage, others think he is stupid and that he skips the development part of his career.
Learning on the job
Some fighters have gone straight to the top at the start of their careers, but come from excellent amateur backgrounds. Schofield was not a great amateur. He learned on the top like a pro, and has yet to fight a contender.
De La Hoya, who was 20 when he won his first world title in his 12th professional fight in 1994, was also an Olympic gold medalist in 1992. Schofield does not have the same amateur pedigree.
