Richardson Hitchins says he doesn’t rate the Feb. 22 contest between WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson and Floyd Schofield as a “good fight” because of the skill mismatch.
Hitchins thinks Schofield (18-0, 12 KOs) will make it “fun fight” because of his ability to hurt Shakur (22-0, 10 KOs), but it is NOT the same kind of high-level matchup compared to Stevenson facing Gervonta Davis.
Fan Backlash
The criticism that fans and the media have about Shakur picking 22-year-old prospect Schofield is that he’s facing a guy who has never fought anyone but is worthy of a shot at a world title.
Many of the fighters in the top 15 come from great amateur backgrounds, like the 2020 Olympic gold medalist. Andy Cruz or Keyshavn Davisagainst whom Shakur could have fought but did not. He picked Schofield, and it looks bad in the eyes of the fans, giving them the impression that he’s making sure he doesn’t lose before he gets his cash-out Tank Davis fight in 2025.
It’s a fight the 27-year-old Shakur is warming up to, so it’s understandable why he doesn’t want to take any chances before then. It’s also disappointing because he talks about himself as the best in the division, but fights like this betray him as a fake.
“Not a good fight”
“I don’t think it’s a big fight at all.” “I think it’s a fun fight because of Schofield,” said Richardson Hitchins iFL TV on the Feb. 22 clash between WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson and Floyd Schofield.
“A lot of times people cheer for fights and then they go watch the fight and it’s not what you believe or what you imagine. That’s the point of the media’s job. I’m not here to give anyone a free game. It’s for media and promoters.
“It’s not a good fight at all.” It’s just a man with a pair of gloves who has the ability to hurt another human being, which is Shakur. That makes it interesting, but it comes from skill to skill. It’s not a big fight,” Hitchins said of the Stevenson-Schofield clash.
“It’s not Bivol against Beterbiev. It’s not Shakur and Tank Davis, where you have two guys who are technical and have IQ. Not much of an argument, period. It’s just a fun fight,” Hitchins said.
Hitchins is right about the fight between Shakur and Schofield. It’s a fun game, but not a good one. Schofield has looked too bad in his recent matches.
Schofield’s last four opponents
– René Tellez Giron
– Esteuri serum
– Ricardo Lopez Torres
– Haskell Rhodes
You have to be an ultra-hard boxing fan to know who these guys are, and that tells you everything you need to know about Schofield’s qualifications for his fight against Shakur. He doesn’t deserve the title shot or the #2 that WBA has given him.