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Floyd Schofield Captures First World Title With Unanimous
Decision Victory Over Lucas Bahdi
Undefeated rising star Floyd “Kid Austin” Schofield (20-0,
13 KOs) captured the vacant WBA lightweight world title with
a unanimous decision victory over MVP’s previously unbeaten
Canadian Lucas Bahdi (20-1, 15KOs) at Wintrust Arena in
Chicago, live on DAZN. The judges scored the 12-round bout
116-110, 119-108 and 115-111, all in favor of Schofield.
Schofield set the tone early, dropping Bahdi in the third
round before using his superior speed, movement and sharp
combinations to control much of the action. Bahdi remained
dangerous throughout, landing several heavy shots and
scoring a knockdown of his own in the 11th round. Despite
being tested, Schofield stayed composed, consistently landed
the cleaner punches and did enough to secure his first world
championship while preserving his undefeated record. The
event was presented by Golden Boy Promotions in co-promotion
with Most Valuable Promotions (MVP).
In the co-main event, Sergio “Yoreme” Mendoza (28-1, 24 KOs)
of Hermosillo, Mexico, captured the WBA and WBC world titles
with a fifth-round TKO victory over Ricardo “El Niño”
Sandoval (27-3, 18 KOs) of Rialto, Calif. Mendoza dropped
Sandoval twice during a series of heated exchanges in the
second round. Sandoval attempted to adjust over the next
three rounds, but Mendoza continued to apply pressure before
scoring a third knockdown in the fifth. Although Sandoval
returned to his feet, the referee determined he was unable
to continue and stopped the fight. The scheduled 12-round
co-feature was presented by Golden Boy and BXSTRS
Promotions.
"The difference tonight was being at my natural weight of
112 and having a great training camp – we trained so hard
and it paid off, said Mendoza.”
“I wasn’t concerned about a comeback by Sandoval, he was
badly hurt after the two knockdowns and it was just a matter
of time.”
“I loved fighting here in Chicago in front of so many
Mexican fans, it made me feel like I was fighting at home."
MVP’s U.S. Olympian Jahmal Harvey (5-0, 4 KOs) of Oxon Hill,
Maryland, continued his impressive start to his professional
career with a spectacular third-round TKO victory over
Mexico’s Pedro Castaneda (9-2-1, 5 KOs) in a scheduled
eight-round lightweight bout. The 2024 U.S. Olympian
showcased his superior speed, technical skill, and power
from the opening bell, using a sharp jab and crisp
combinations to break down Castaneda’s defense through the
first two rounds. Early in the third, Harvey unleashed a
devastating left hand that sent Castaneda crashing to the
canvas. Although Castaneda beat the count, he was unable to
continue, prompting the referee to stop the fight at 1:08 of
the third round. The emphatic finish marked Harvey’s fourth
stoppage in just five professional victories, further
cementing the 23-year-old’s status as one of America’s
brightest rising boxing prospects.
“The body attack tonight was efficient and gave me the
ability to control the action and the pace,” said Harvey.
“I threw him off with the knockout punch, he was trying to
counter punch me.”
“I love fighting in the pros, much easier to get knockouts.”
“It was great to fight here in Chicago; the atmosphere and
support was terrific. Gotta fight at home in Maryland soon,
they’re all waiting for me.”
Opening the main card live on DAZN from Wintrust Arena in
Chicago, MVP’s undefeated Jan Paul Rivera (17-0, 7 KOs) of
Salinas, Puerto Rico, delivered a dominant performance
against Abraham Perfecto Valdez (14-3, 9 KOs) of Tecate,
Mexico, in a 10-round super featherweight bout at 130 lbs.
The 25-year-old Rivera established control from the opening
bell, showcasing his superior boxing skills before dropping
Perfecto Valdez with a powerful left hook in the second
round. Rivera continued to dictate the pace throughout the
fight, consistently outboxing and outworking his opponent en
route to a commanding unanimous decision victory (99-89 x3),
preserving his perfect professional record and continuing
his rise in the super featherweight division.
On the preliminary card, sponsored by Scotch Porter, Tristan
“Sweet T” Kalkreuth (18-1, 13 KOs) of Las Vegas, NV stopped
undefeated Ivan Rosado (12-1, 9 KOs) of San Juan, Puerto
Rico in the 3rd round of their cruiserweight contest.
Kalkreuth threw a flurry of punches, prompting the ref to
stop the fight with a time of 0:44 via TKO in the
aforementioned round.
“Very happy with my performance, we worked in the gym on
utilizing range and distance and that worked great
especially with this guy, said Kalkreuth.”
“The knockdown in the first was great but he was still very
dangerous and he hit me with a couple good shots
afterwards.”
“I’d like to fight again at the beginning of next year. No
one specific in the cruiserweight division but they see me
and know I’m coming.”
Cristian Williams (15-0, 8 KOs) of Chicago, IL defeated Asa
Stevens (7-1-1, 2 KOs) of Waianae, HI via unanimous decision
in a 8 round super featherweight bout keeping his undefeated
streak. Scorecards were 74-78, 74-78 and 75-77 all in favor
of Williams.
“I had to make some adjustments in the fight early on, he
had a couple good moves and was awkward, but I listened to
my corner and was able to figure him out, " said Williams.
“The seventh round with the head shot hurt him badly and I
could see that it changed the fight.
Feels great to fight at home, I want to continue inspiring
the young kids in the city and show them there is a
different route to go. Very thankful to Golden Boy for
putting me on such a big show and letting me showcase my
skills.”
“I’m going to talk to my team and we’ll sort out what’s
next.”
Undefeated U.S. Olympian Joshua “The Rocket” Edwards (8-0, 7
KOs) of Houston, Texas demonstrated his amateur pedigree and
rising status as a heavyweight pro against Craig Lewis
(15-10-1, 8 KOs). After two dominant rounds from Edwards,
the referee halted the bout due to injury at :01 of round 3,
awarding Edwards the win by TKO.
“I planned on using my jab a little more but was very happy
with the way my overhand rights worked, they did a lot of
damage, " said Joshua Edwards.
“My trainer Ronnie Shields and I worked in the gym on my
feinting and then using the reaction to place the best
shots. We’ve worked a lot on my balance in the gym and it’s
improved a great deal.
I’m a gym rat; I’ll take a week off and be right back in the
gym. I wanted a much more conclusive stoppage, but I had
hurt him pretty badly and he didn’t want to fight anymore.
Would love to fight again this year."
Thermal, Calif.’s undefeated Grant Flores (14-0, 10 KOs)
earned a second round TKO of Chicago’s Mikey Dahlman (19-3,
17 KOs)
“What we worked on in the gym worked in the fight,
especially going to the body for the knockdown in the second
round, said Grant Flores."
"It’s important I use my length, the punches that land at
the end hurt the most.”
"This is my second fight with Robert Garcia and I can really
tell the difference, I’m much more cool, calm and collected.
I get the best sparring at RGBA."
“I had a fight get cancelled in June due to my appendix, but
now I’m ready to fight often, hopefully once more this
year."
Opening the card, MVP’s and Costa Rica’s rising flyweight
contender Naomy Valle (16-1, 9 KOs) defeated Mexico’s Sheyla
Moreno (5-2-1, 1 KO) by unanimous decision (77-74, 78-72,
78-73) after eight rounds.
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