Shakur Stevenson “Concerned” challenger will duck fight after no-show

Shakur Stevenson says he’s “concerned” that challenger Floyd Schofield may pull out of their February 22 fight after he doesn’t show up to their press conference to announce their undercard clash on the Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol 2 card to reserve.

Schofield’s absence

Schofield (18-0, 12 KOs) just 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 chosen opponent, Schofield, when he arrives next month. This could be one of the more interesting fights on the card as it will allow fans to see if Stevenson has turned over a new leaf. He said he’s going to stay in the bag for this fight and “steal the show” from the other fighters on the card.

“He definitely made a mistake. He is a good, young fighter, a hungry fighter. I still hope he takes the fight,” Shakur Stevenson said during today’s press conferenceresponding to Floyd Schofield’s no show. “I am quite worried that he is not here. I was quite excited to see him.

“Don’t get butterflies and pull out of the fight. I know this is a difficult time. I know you’re dealing with a lot, but just show up. It looked like I was coming in, putting on my offensive bag and dropping my hands, hitting guys. That’s what I’m coming to do on February 22.

“You have a young, hungry child. It’s not some old, washed-up guy who wants to win, but they don’t have the body or the age to do it. So, this is a hungry lion. He speaks. His father is speaking. They sound very confident online. I wish they were here in person so I could see how really confident they are,” Shakur said of Floyd Jr. and his father said.

It doesn’t matter that Schofield didn’t show up during the press conference because he will be there on February 22, and he’s going to put a lot of pressure on the champion. It’s a fight that could go badly for Shakur if his surgically repaired right hand doesn’t hold up under the heat of battle. To fight Floyd Jr. with only one working hand. trying to fight would be a nightmare.

“Maybe, yes, because when you do all that talk, you have to live up to the hype that you talk about,” Shakur said. “So, yes, I think the energy is going to be different, but we’ll see. Zepeda was my first choice. I would have loved to fight Zepeda. Now, we’re here with Schofield. It is the next best available option.”

Stevenson should be glad the fight against William Zepeda isn’t happening because it’s one that probably would have ended badly for him. There’s no way he could match Zepeda’s high 100+ punches per round outbox, and he wouldn’t be able to withstand the power of his shots. He would be forced to run, and it would have been a bad look.

“Steal the show”

“What should I do to beat him? Just be myself. Get in there and act. My goal is to steal the show. That’s what I’m here for. I think Cordina is one hell of a fighter. I have nothing too bad to say. I always thought he and I were a good fighter. I’m in the fights the fans want to see,” says Shakur.

There’s no way Shakur is going to steal the show on February 22nd unless all the other fights bomb badly, and he recreates his safety-first fighting style. Shakur is too chicken to stop using his hit-and-don’t-hit fighting style. So, those kind of lines out that Stevenson ‘steals the show’.

“The fans didn’t want to see me against Cordina. Everyone s*** on 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, undefeated lion, and he’s a natural 135 pounds.

“A lot of people think Cordina is a 130 pounder. I actually think he’s a 135 pounder, and I think he’s going to feel better with the weight. Just because it’s not happening now doesn’t mean it won’t happen,” Shakur said.

For a fight with Shakur and Cordina to take place in the future. it will take a lot of doing. Stevenson’s career would have to fall apart. It’s the only way that fight can happen because the 33-year-old Cordina isn’t young, and he’s not staying active with his career.

He last fought on May 8, 2024 and was knocked out by Anthony Cacace in the eighth round. He has no fights scheduled and no hope of reaching a top spot at 135 for a clash with Stevenson to happen.