Shakur Stevenson took to social media to encourage Floyd Schofield ahead of their February 22nd undercard fight in Riyadh. WBC lightweight champion Shakur (22-0, 10 KOs) told prospect Schofield not to “let go” of his dream after whipping him.
Shakur’s dismissive confidence
Normally this kind of comment is made after a fighter wins, but an overconfident Shakur is jumping the gun and comforting 22-year-old rookie Schofield before they meet.
This makes sense, as Schofield will be a massive underdog in this fight, and his chances of winning depend on whether he gets a lucky shot or Shakur suffers an injury.
Many fans think that Schofield and his father are just fighting for the $1 million payday, knowing they can’t win, but are just in it for the money. That would be pathetic. Schofield has yet to fight anyone worthy of this title shot.
Schofield’s last five opponents
– Rene Tellez Giron
– Estuary Serum
– Ricardo López Torres
– Haskell Rhodes
– Jesus Valentin Leon
These are NOT world class fighters, and it is incredible that Schofield was given a high ranking by the sanctioning bodies based on wins over fluff opposition. Golden Boy promoter Oscar De La Hoya must have been adamant about not allowing Schofield to fight for a world title, but it’s understandable why he said yes.
As Schofield looked in his fight with Giron, while he was out, this payoff match against Shakur could be as good as it gets for him. If De La Hoya chooses to continue developing Schofield, he will likely be picked off by one of the second-tier fighters before he reaches the level to face the top 15 contenders.
“Don’t let your dream go after this struggle. You might make it happen one day; tell them, Auntie,” says Shakur Stevenson Xcomforting Floyd Schofield before their 22nd fight in Riyadh.
Payout
Shakur tries to mess with Schofield in the build-up, but it doesn’t matter if he throws him off mentally because he’s already out of his league in this fight. He doesn’t need to psych him up because he’s just a simple prospect.
“We’re going to shock the world … and the NO,” Schofield said of his fight with Shakur.
I don’t think anyone believes Schofield or his father that they think they will win. Again, they just see this as a money oriented deal for them, go for the quick cash, take the loss, and rinse and repeat with more wins over soft opposition for another undeserved title shot.
