It has all come to this. WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson has claimed that he has signed a contract to fight rising star Floyd Schofield Jr. The duo has been bickering online for quite a while to arrange a fight. However, things started to look real all because of one man—William Zepeda. 

You see, after Zepeda defeated Philadelphia’s Tevin Farmer in his last outing, he was supposed to square off against Stevenson in a mandatory title fight. But after what was the flattest performance of his career, Zepeda revealed he injured his forearm and can’t fight ‘Sugar’ anytime soon. Definitely not an excuse—wink, wink. Regardless, this opened the doors for Schofield. 

Floyd Schofield confirms fight offer

‘Kid Austin’ jumped head first at the opportunity, challenging Stevenson on social media. Even Floyd Schofield Jr.’s father started advocating for the fight, anticipating a career-high payday for his son and, of course, a massive opportunity to set Floyd among the elites. Schofield Sr. questioned who Stevenson has fought to make him an elite boxer, suggesting his son will destroy the Newark native. 

When all this was going on, in a different place, Eddie Hearn, Stevenson’s promoter, had revealed that they had recently sent a contract to Schofield and his promoter Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions, claiming the next 48 hours would reveal whether the fight gets made. Lo and behold, Stevenson dropped the bombshell.

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Responding to a user on X, who asked him when he would fight ‘Kid Austin,’ Stevenson said, “I signed a contract today for it but ion be believe everything I see on social media who knows what’s what all I can do is my part and I’ll believe it when I see it.” As it turns out, this was true, as Schofield’s official X account acknowledged the move. 

“We got the contract…done deal,” Schofield Jr. wrote in response. What’s even more interesting is that Oscar De La Hoya, who was against the fight initially, also responded. “@KidAustin11 is officially the most badass prospect fighter today. Kid officially accepts to fight @ShakurStevenson let’s go,” De La Hoya wrote. 

Regardless, when the boxing world discovered the news, let’s just say they had plenty to say about the potential fight.

A fan claims Shakur Stevenson sounds doubtful

It’s worth noting that sending a contract is just one step in the process of finalizing a fight—it doesn’t guarantee the bout will happen. Many details still need to be negotiated and agreed upon, and it’s often at this stage that fights are most likely to fall through. 

One user seemed quite suspicious of Stevenson’s claims. “Show the proof,” the user asked. However, Schofield has already confirmed receiving a contract for the fight and Oscar has backed it. 

Meanwhile, this user interpreted Stevenson’s tweet as a sign of slight doubt. “You [are] sounding like you got some doubt. Don’t back out now! Lol,” the user wrote. However, Stevenson might have meant that he wouldn’t consider the fight official until it was confirmed by GB Promotions.

Another user speculated whether this meant the fight was a done deal. “Does the contract not make it official? Or was Schofield cappin,” the user asked. While it’s a step in the right direction for the fight to happen, only time will tell if it gets confirmed. 

Someone else expressed respect for Stevenson, claiming Stevenson proved he would fight anybody. “Respect Shakur differently 🤝🏾he give he’ll really fight anybody! And you gotta respect that win or lose,” the user wrote. However, for Stevenson, it should be an easy fight, at least on paper. Schofield’s last performance left much to be desired. 

The next user asked Stevenson why he was begging to fight people in Oscar’s promotion even though he ended up signing with Matchroom Boxing. “Why are you pleading to fight a 22 year old prospect?? 🤔.. you signed with Matchroom only to complain about not getting fights with @OscarDeLaHoya & Goldenboy.. make it make sense champ 🤷🏻‍♂️,” the user wrote. During Oscar’s ‘Clapback Thursdays’ segment, he criticized Hearn for the same point. 

That being said, it appears a fight between Shakur Stevenson and Floyd Schofield Jr. is quickly coming close to happening. However, things can also go wrong in negotiations, after all, boxing is a business for most fighters. Do you think this fight will happen?