Floyd Schofield (19-0, 13 KOs) was forced to withdraw from a notable bout for the second time this year as he will no longer be facing Joseph ‘JoJo’ Diaz (33-7-1, 15 KOs) on November 8th.
In February, Schofield was forced out of his WBC world lightweight title shot against Shakur Stevenson due to illness. The 23-year-old was able to return in June with a first-round knockout over Tevin Farmer, but it will seemingly be just one outing for the lightweight prospect in 2025.
On October 23rd, Schofield withdrew from his scheduled bout with Diaz due to a ‘Grade 2 sprain to his wrist’, according to a statement from Golden Boy. Now, he has spoken out on his inability to compete on November 8th.
FLOYD SCHOFIELD (17-0-12KOs) of Austin, TX (C) weigh-ins on October 31, 2024. / IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire
In a recent interview with FightHype.com, Schofield discussed the recent news regarding his canceled bout with veteran competitor Diaz.
When asked what happened and what caused the injury that forced Schofield to withdraw from the bout, the fighter revealed it occurred while sparring.
“I had thrown an uppercut, and when I threw the uppercut, I had my hand in the wrong position, and it kind of bent backward.”
–Â Floyd Schofield
Despite the injury, Schofield said that he continued to spar for five rounds, as well as doing some bag work, after the damaging moment. “The doctor told me that, ‘You probably added more damage than you should have.'”
Schofield added, “I be trying to kill my sparring partners too, sometimes. I’m preparing for a fight, and I was just throwing all-out power since it was my last sparring session, and yeah, I ended up hurting my hand.”
The boxer said he didn’t realize the severity of the injury at the time, and it wasn’t until the next day that he felt the need to seek medical attention. Schofield’s father, who joined him in the interview, then revealed that it was his decision to withdraw his son from the bout after speaking to the doctor.
Schofield Sr. felt it was ‘too much risk’ for his son to fight with the injury, even though he feels Schofield Jr. could defeat Diaz ‘with one hand’. The father-son pairing revealed that, despite the injury, Schofield Jr. still wanted to compete in the bout.
In terms of what is next for Schofield, the fighter said he was still interested in facing Diaz, aiming for a bout in February. However, the pair expect Diaz to remain on the card of Ortiz vs Lubin, and he must get past that opponent first.
Although describing himself as ‘frustrated’ by the injury, Schofield felt that being in line for the lightweight title and his age were factors that convinced him that a withdrawal was the right decision.
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