Shakur Stevenson was lined up to defend his WBC Lightweight championship against Floyd Schofield Jr. this Saturday (Feb. 22, 2025) on the “Beterbiev vs. Bivol 2” boxing card on DAZN from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, but that fight is no longer happening.
According to multiple reports, Schofield Jr. — who is undefeated at 18-0 with 12 knockouts — fell ill earlier this week and was forced out of the event. Stepping in to take his place is Josh Padley, who is 15-0 with four knockouts.
While a tough blow, the real story here is in regards to what actually happened to Schofield Jr. According to his father and trainer, Floyd Schofield Sr., he initially believed his son may have been poisoned.
The whereabouts of serial poisoner, Georges St-Pierre, are unknown.
“They poisoned my son,” read a since-deleted tweet on X (via Boxing Scene). Schofield Sr. went on to say they “wiped a cream on my son,” suggesting that a masseuse had a hand in the debacle.
Brock Lesnar can relate.
Stevenson’s manager, Josh Dubin, was quick to offer up his response.
“This fighter should get advised on the defamation laws in our country,” Dubin told BoxingScene. “Saying these things that slander Shakur does not come without legal consequences. Saying that his food was poisoned will not go unrecognized. [Schofield] is being put on notice right now. People might think there’s a kernel of truth in these lies by his father, when it seems to be a way for him to make an excuse he’s not going to fight.
“We’re not going to tolerate these lies and either [the Schofields] or someone on their behalf needs to publicly apologize now,” Dubin said.
A bit later, Schofield Sr. once again hopped on social media to backtrack his comments.
“My apologies for any accusation on my part. The massage lady played no part in Floyd’s incident. I want to clear that up,” he wrote. “As a parent, I didn’t know what happened. I just knew the people who were around Floyd and touched him.”
Beware of the watermelons.
For now, Stevenson (22-0) will focus on the task at hand in what will be his second title defense. A victory could get him closer to locking down what is sure to be a mega-fight against current WBA Lightweight champion, Gervonta Davis, who is set to defend his belt against Lamont Roach on March. 1.
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