In a hastily arranged main event at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas, Floyd Schofield kept his unbeaten record in tact, as he dropped Haskell Rhodes three times on route to a wide points win.
Vergil Ortiz Jr was due to be the headliner in a world title tilt against Eimantas Stanionis, but the contest was cancelled with days to spare, as Ortiz Jr was forced to withdraw once more with an ongoing medical issue. The card went on regardless, and Golden Boy decided to make 20-year-old Schofield the main attraction against the experienced Rhodes.
Schofield (15-0, 11 KOs) showcased his talents in this one, and he visibly shook Rhodes (28-5-1, 13 KOs) on more than one occasion in the opening round.
‘Kid Austin’ did pretty much as he pleased, and was able to switch stances with regularity, and connect almost at will when he liked.
The breakthrough came in the seventh, when the lightweight prospect landed with a spiteful left hook at the end of a combination that put Rhodes down hard.
A look at @KidAustin11‘s IMPRESSIVE win in our Get In The Zone segment presented by @autozone 🥊#SchofieldRhodes pic.twitter.com/DdEd5Wu8lF
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) July 9, 2023
The 35-year-old was down again on the resumption, when a swarm of punches took his legs from beneath him, but again he survived the count.
The final knockdown came a round later, when a wicked body shot forced a delayed reaction from the Oklahoma man, but yet again he survived.
Schofield was cut on the cheek in the penultimate round, but that was the only blemish on an impressive performance as he took victory by three scores of 100-87.
Golden Boy Promotions
Esparza adds another belt
There was world title action on the card, as Marlen Esparza added the WBO flyweight title to her WBC and WBA crowns by taking a majority verdict against Gabriela Celeste Alaniz (14-1, 6 KOs).
Esparza (14-1, 1 KO) was a step ahead during the contest, and a 95-95 card was overruled by scores of 99-91 and 97-93 in the Texan’s favour.
✅ WBA
✅ WBC
✅ WBO
and RING MAGAZINE WONEN’S FLYWEIGHT CHAMPION…M A R L E N E S P A R Z A 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/6oaI44q86c
— Golden Boy (@GoldenBoyBoxing) July 9, 2023
Diaz back to winning ways
JoJo Diaz halted a run of three straight losses, as he took a ten round points win against Jerry Perez (14-3-1, 11 KOs).
Former world champion, Diaz (33-4-1, 15 KOs) was the victor by two scores of 97-93 and a third at 98-92.
What a fight!! and what a way to wrap up 10 exciting rounds in our co-main event!#DiazJrPerez#SchofieldRhodes | LIVE on DAZN pic.twitter.com/T0NsyqIFdQ
— Golden Boy (@GoldenBoyBoxing) July 9, 2023
Remaining Undercard
At super welterweight, Eric Tudor (9-0, 6 KOs) dropped Reggie Harris Jr (7-4, 3 KOs) in the second round, before taking an eight round points win (78-73 twice, 77-74).
Tristan Kalkreuth (11-1, 8 KOs) took a second round win at heavyweight against Joe Jones (13-9, 10 KOs), and Darius Fulghum (6-0, 6 KOs) stopped Jeremiah Curtwright (2-2, 2 KOs) in the third of a scheduled four rounder at light heavyweight.
