To a certain extent, Floyd Schofield and his father talked their way into a fight with Shakur Stevenson.
For the most part, Stevenson never wanted it to take place. However, with the 27-year-old struggling to land a marquee fight, he decided to throw Team Schofield a bone. Unfortunately for Stevenson, his act of kindness, from his point of view, wasn't reciprocated.
Just a few days before they officially got it on, Schofield (18-0, 12 KOs) was forced to pull out, citing an illness. Josh Padley stepped in to save Stevenson’s night but even after giving him a beatdown, Stevenson wasn’t a happy man.
“It was very disappointing just off the fact that I gave him an opportunity,” said Stevenson during an interview with Cigar Talk. “I’m the one who put him on that stage. When the higher-ups said they don’t want that fight to happen, I pushed for the fight anyway. I gave him that opportunity and he just slapped me in my face.”
Technically, Stevenson (23-0, 11 KOs) doesn't have to revisit a showdown with Schofield if he doesn’t want to. He’s currently ranked the number 13 contender for Stevenson’s WBC title. Meaning, if he wants to make things happen, he’ll need to string together a few victories.
Fans may not want to hear this, but Stevenson's 2024 is almost over. Thanks to persistent hand injuries, he knows that fighting twice a year isn’t realistic. Ideally, the former Olympic silver medalist wants to get his paws on someone like Gervonta Davis, William Zepeda, or even Lamont Roach.
So where does that leave Schofield? Well, he’s still in a favorable position in the other three sanctioning bodies. But as for Stevenson's green and gold belt, Schofield should kiss that opportunity goodbye.
“F--- no, hell no,” continued Stevenson when asked if he would be willing to fight Schofield down the line. “He ain’t deserve to be there.”