Oscar De La Hoya still believes Floyd ‘Kid Austin’ Schofield Jr. should have waited to gain more experience before challenging Shakur Stevenson for his WBC lightweight title.
Despite it being early on for the young contender, Oscar feels that Schofield can win the fight with his jab, pressure and fighting tall. Those are the keys to beating the Philly shell that Shakur Stevenson uses.
De L Hoya says he had a “plan” for the 22-year-old Schofield (18-0, 12 KOs) to bring him along in his career, but he and his dad, Floyd Sr., wanted the fight against Stevenson (22-0, 10 KOs). ‘Kid Austin’ will be fighting Shakur on the undercard of Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol 2 rematch on February 22nd in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The event will be shown live on DAZN.
“I was the first one to say, ‘We have to wait. We have a plan for you, we have a strategy for you,’ but the father was very adamant. The father, in particular, was the one that wanted this fight,” said Oscar De La Hoya to Fight Hub TV about Floyd Schofield Jr. and his father Floyd Sr., insisting that they take the fight against WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson on February 22nd.
“Kid Austin is a throwback fighter. He’s actually my favorite fighter today when it comes to fighting the very best, fighting anybody, getting to the top, and making history. That’s his mentality. I love that. But for my taste, it was a little too ambitious, but they know exactly what they’re doing.
“The father [Schofield Sr] knows his son. We know his abilities inside the ring. Is it too early? Maybe. Is it the right time? Who knows. Only Kid Austin knows inside the ring that night. I think it’s going to be a hell of a fight. I think it’s going to be a very, very entertaining fight,” said De Loya.
One gets the sense that the Schofields wanted this fight with Stevenson for the money more than anything else. It’s a nice payday for them, and with the way Kid Austin looked in his last fight against Rene Tellez Giron, he’ll eventually get beaten when he steps up to fighting top 15 contenders.
So, it was a smart thing for Schofield to go for the money fight while it was available against Shakur rather than trying to pick up more experience and getting by someone.
“Look, Shakur Stevenson is coming off of an injury, and Kid Austin has to take advantage of that injury. I’m sure he’ll find a way with his new team, his new corner with Ronnie Shields and his father in the corner,” said De La Hoya.
Schofield should pressure Shakur and force him to brawl in this fight because his surgically repaired hand might fall apart during the contest. Fighting with one arm would put him at a huge disadvantage against Kid Austin.
“I think Kid Austin has a tremendous chance of dethroning a pure boxer in Shakur Stevenson,” said De La Hoya. “I love his chances because Floyd doesn’t fight head-first. He’s a fast puncher; he’s a strong puncher. His reflexes are cat-like. He’s a fighter who fights tall.
“So, I think if Floyd Schofield can fight tall with a lot of pressure, and using that jab. The jab is going to be a key for Shakur’s style. For Floyd Mayweather’s style, for the shell style, the jab is the key. I love Floyd’s chances because of his footwork. I love his footwork. It’s probably in the best in the sport today.
“So, the explosiveness, the speed, the IQ, I think Floyd has a great shot. It’s not easy to crack, but it’s doable,” said De La Hoya about Shakur’s defense.
“Every time I watch styles like Shakur and Floyd’s, the jab is the key, and fight tall. With a nice stance and fighting tall because a lot of fighters make the mistake of crouching down, which gives Shakur and Floyd Mayweather the advantage of landing their jab to their head easily because they’re fighting tall. Yeah, they’re very smart boxers, but there are ways to beating that style,” said De La Hoya.
Schofield is going to have to use constant pressure, fast footwork, and power to defeat Shakur because he’s going to be using movement against him.
The toughest fights Stevenson has had in recent years were against Edwin De Los Santos and Jeremiah Nakathilia, who pressured him and landed hard shots when they did get near enough to hit him. Where they failed is with their inability to cut off the ring on Stevenson when he ran from them.
