Floyd Schofield is eager to test himself against lightweight titleholder Shakur Stevenson. His father and trainer, Floyd Schofield Snr, shares that ambition.
On Saturday night, Schofield secured a unanimous decision victory over Rene Tellez Giron at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas.
Schofield, 22, from Austin, Texas, showcased his grit after being floored by a glancing left hook in the 11th round. He recovered to improve his record to 18-0 (12 KOs). Giron, 25, from Mexico, saw his three-fight win streak end, dropping to 20-4 (13 KOs). Schofield Snr quickly expressed interest in a potential matchup with Stevenson.
“I like Shakur,” Schofield Snr said in the post-fight media scrum. “Shakur is one of the greatest boxers of this era. I’ve always said he’s one of my favorite fighters.
“The thing with Floyd is he adapts to the person, fights like that person. So I need somebody like Shakur or Tank, so he could dig in his bag and have to pull that out.”
Explaining why the Stevenson fight is important, Schofield Snr mentioned past sparring sessions, noting that Stevenson’s counterpunching style would make for an exciting clash as his son would force the action.
Reflecting on Saturday’s performance, Schofield Snr shared mixed feelings. “I wanted him to use his jab and keep moving,” Schofield Snr said. “But young fighters, when they get hit, they want to [fight].”
For his part, Schofield Jnr graded his performance candidly.
“I’d give myself a B-minus,” he said. “Rene was a tough fighter. You guys didn’t fight Rene, it’s very challenging to stand there with someone. You hit him with a five piece combination and it hurts your hands and it doesn’t hurt him.”
Schofield Snr also revealed that Joan Guzman would join the team for their next fight.
Schofield Jnr addressed a leaked DM from Stevenson, explaining that although he has long viewed Stevenson as one of the best fighters of his era, he now wants to challenge him. “Now I want your spot,” Schofield Jnr said. “It’s like when he was in camp with Tank [Gervonta Davis]. Now he wants to fight Tank. It’s the same thing.”