Floyd Schofield is perfectly fine with his new role as the center of attention this weekend.
The unbeaten lightweight prospect soaked in the ambiance as his weight of 134 1/2 pounds was read to the crowd who gathered Friday afternoon at AT&T Center in San Antonio. The venue will host Schofield’s scheduled ten-round lightweight bout versus Oklahoma City’s Haskell Lydell Rhodes (28-4-1, 13KOs), who was also 134 ½ pounds.
Their bout is the makeshift main event for this Saturday’s DAZN four-fight telecast, which will begin at 8:00 p.m. ET and 7:00 p.m. local time.
Schofield-Rhodes was bumped up after the Eimantas Stanionis-Vergil Ortiz WBA ‘Regular’ welterweight title fight was dropped from the show. Lithuania’s Stanionis (14-0, 9KOs; 1ND) was due to make his first title defense but was left without a fight after Ortiz (19-0, 19KOs)—a 25-year-old contender from Grand Prairie, Texas—was hospitalized after he passed out late Wednesday evening.
Schofield (14-0, 11KOs)—who is based in nearby Austin—will fight for the third time in 2023. The 20-year-old blue-chip prospect knocked out Jose Valentin Leon in the second-round of their April 22 meeting on the Gervonta Davis-Ryan Garcia undercard at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Rhodes is 2-2 in his last four starts but has not defeated an opponent with a winning record since 2014.
The evening’s lone title fight left on the show will see lineal/WBC/WBA flyweight champion Marlen Esparza and WBO titlist Gabriela Alaniz move within one belt of undisputed championship status.
Houston’s Esparza (13-1, 1KOs)—a 2012 Olympic Bronze medalist—was 111 ½ pounds in her fourth overall title defense and second as a unified champ. Buenos Aires’ Alaniz (14-0, 6KOs) was 110 ¾ pounds in her first career fight outside of Argentina.
DAZN main undercard (8:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. local time)
Joseph Diaz Jr. (32-4-1, 15KOs), South El Monte, California, 141 ½ pounds vs. Jerry Perez (14-2-1, 11KOs), Harbor City, California, 138 pounds—10 rounds, junior welterweight
Eric Tudor (8-0, 6KOs), Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 154 ½ pounds vs. Reggie Harris Jr. (7-3, 3KOs), Ann Arbor, Michigan, 162 ½ pounds*—8 rounds, junior middleweight
*Harris well over the contracted limit; will face financial penalty but fight will move forward
Non-televised prelims (6:10 p.m. ET, 5:10 p.m. local time)
Tristan Kalkreuth (10-1, 7KOs), Duncanville, Texas, 199 pounds vs. Joe Jones (13-8, 10KOs), Jersey City, New Jersey, 200 ½ pounds—6 rounds, cruiserweight
Darius Fulghum (5-0, 5KOs), Houston, 176 ¼ pounds vs. Jeremiah Curtright (2-1, 2KOs), Saint Louis, Missouri, 178 ½ pounds—4 rounds, light heavyweight.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for krikya360.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox