Shakur Stevenson took to social media to encourage Floyd Schofield ahead of their February 22nd undercard fight in Riyadh. The WBC lightweight champion Shakur (22-0, 10 KOs) let the prospect Schofield know not to “Let go” of his dream after he whips him.
Shakur’s Dismissive Confidence
Normally, this kind of comment is made after a fighter wins, but the overconfident Shakur is jumping the gun, consoling the 22-year-old novice Schofield before they’ve met.
It makes sense because Schofield will be a massive underdog in this fight, and his chances of winning depend on whether he lands a lucky punch or Shakur suffers an injury.
Many fans think Schofield and his father are just taking his fight for the payday of $1 million, knowing they can’t win but are just in it for the money. That would be pathetic. Schofield hasn’t fought anyone noteworthy to be getting this title shot.
Schofield’s last five opponents
– Rene Tellez Giron
– Estueri Suero
– Ricardo Lopez Torres
– Haskell Rhodes
– Jesus Valentin Leon
Those are NOT world-class fighters, and it’s unbelievable that Schofield was given a high ranking by the sanctioning bodies based on victories over fluff opposition. Golden Boy promoter Oscar De La Hoya should have been firm on not allowing Schofield to fight for a world title yet, but it’s understandable why he said yes.
The way Schofield looked in his fight with Giron, getting dropped, this cash-out match against Shakur could be as good as it gets for him. If De La Hoya chooses to continue developing Schofield, he’d likely get picked off by one of the second-tier fighters before getting to the level of facing the top 15 contenders.
“Don’t let go of your dream after this a** whooping. You may make it happen someday; tell ’em, Auntie,” said Shakur Stevenson X, consoling Floyd Schofield before their February 22nd fight in Riyadh.
Cashing Out
Shakur is trying 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 psyche him out because he’s just a simple prospect.
“We are going to shock the World… and the NEE,” said Schofield about his fight with Shakur.
I don’t think anyone believes Schofield or his dad that they think they will win. Again, they just see this as a money-oriented deal for them, going for the quick cash, take the loss, and rinse & repeat with more wins over soft opposition for another unearned title shot.
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