Shakur Stevenson has established himself as one of the top pound-for-pound boxers in the sport today as he boasts a perfect 23-0 record.
Stevenson will aim to defend his WBC World Lightweight title on July 12th, when he welcomes a challenge from William Zepeda.
In his last outing, Stevenson was able to earn the 11th stoppage of his career. Taking on short-notice opponent Josh Padley, work to the body was enough for the champion to defend his title.
However, Stevenson was originally meant to face Floyd Schofield, who had to withdraw from the bout due to illness.
Floyd Schofield considered retiring after Shakur Stevenson fight withdrawal
In what was considered to be one of the biggest boxing cards in recent history, Stevenson was scheduled to defend his WBC World Lightweight title against rising prospect Schofield (18-0, 12 KOs).
A dramatic fight week would see Schofield hospitalized due to illness, forcing his withdrawal from the bout. Speaking to DAZN, the 22-year-old detailed the struggles that he dealt with at the time.
When talking about Stevenson vs Padley, Schofield said, “I was able to watch the fight from home, and I wasn’t impressed with his [Stevenson’s] performance. You know, that’s just my opinion.”
Despite not being impressed with the performance of the champion, the prospect detailed the emotions he felt watching the fight he was scheduled to be a part of.
“It made me super angry, super upset, super mad. I was watching on my phone and I was literally going to break my phone because I was just so mad,” Schofield said. “My son is on the flight home and I do not have the green belt here with me, and it just made me so upset.”
After getting home from Saudi Arabia and watching the fight, the unbeaten fighter said that he spent ‘an hour-and-a-half crying in the bathroom,’ due to the emotions and frustrations he was feeling. “My opportunity was ruined.”
Continuing his reflection, Schofield said, “It took me a good two, three weeks to bounce back. During that moment, it just showed how my chances could get wrong like that. I wanted to quit boxing… I wanted to do a lot of other stuff because it’s [boxing] so dirty.”
- READ MORE: Who is Shakur Stevenson? Learn about the world champion drawing comparisons to Floyd Mayweather
Floyd Schofield to take on Tevin Farmer on Jake Paul undercard
Schofield will have to fight his way back to a world title opportunity as opposed to getting his fight with Stevenson rearranged.
On Saturday night, Schofield will take on former world champion Tevin Farmer in California. Despite Farmer’s credentials as a former champion, he is on a three-fight losing streak.
It will be a classic veteran vs contender matchup when the pair compete on the undercard of Jake Paul vs Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., with Schofield looking to improve his record to 19-0.