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 this early in his four-year pro career.
De La Hoya says Schofield's father, Floyd Sr., was “adamant” that his son must fight Shakur (22-0, 10 KOs) next, so he is now set to challenge him on a Feb. 22 giant card in Riyadh.
Paying rush?
If Schofield Jr's move backfires, De La Hoya will at least give himself some cover from the backlash by telling the media ahead of time that he is against the idea of the 22-year-old challenging Shakur.
Many fans believe that Schofield Jr. and his father in it just for the money, wanting to get the bag without believing he would beat three-division world champion Stevenson.
When Kid Austin loses, he'll likely pick up a few wins against the same low-level opponent he's built his 18-0 record on, and then try to make another world title shot for another payday. In other words, it's just a crowd.
The way Schofield looked in his last fight against second-tier fighter Rene Tellez Girona, when he knocked him out, means he doesn't belong in the same ring as Shakur or anyone in the top 15 at lightweight. Floyd Jr. performed 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 persistent. It was the father who wanted this fight,” said Oscar De La Hoya Fight Hub TV about wanting Floyd Schofield to continue developing before the world title fight.
“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 inside the ring. Is it too early? Perhaps. Is it the right time? Who knows. Only Kid Austin knows inside the ring that night.”
Boxing fans on social media are divided over whether it's a good thing for 22-year-old professional Schofield, who has four years of experience, to challenge Shakur for a world title this early in his career. While some fans support the idea, seeing Floyd Jr. as brave, others think it's silly and that he's skipping a developmental part of his career.
Learning on the job
Some fighters went straight to the top early in their careers, but came from excellent amateur backgrounds. Schofield was not a great amateur. He's learning at the top like a pro and still hasn't fought an opponent.
De La Hoya, who was 20 when he won his first world title in his 12th pro fight in 1994, was also a 1992 Olympic gold medalist. Schofield does not have the same amateur pedigree.