Boxing matches can throw even the most seasoned fans for a loop, but what happened to 22-year-old rising star Floyd ‘Kid Austin’ Schofield outside the ring had former undisputed middleweight champion Claressa Shields doing a double take! The Jersey City, New Jersey native is coming off a unanimous decision win over Mexico’s Rene Tellez Giron. 

Despite Schofield’s largely dominant display of boxing mastery on Saturday at the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, the 22-year-old was sent crashing onto the canvas for the first time in his career. That combined with several mishaps throughout the fight attracted criticism from his peers in the boxing world. Frustrated, the 18-0 boxer took to social media to make a startling revelation. 

“We were scheduled and trained for 10 rounds,” Schofield wrote on X. “But in the locker room, they changed my contract to 12 rounds and had us initial.” Such last-minute changes in contracts are unheard of, some would even say Schofield should have backed out. 

But here’s the kicker: while it’s still up in the air whether Schofield was in the loop or not, the fight was being billed as a 12-round showdown just days before they stepped into the ring. Regardless, Schofield continued, “So keep sleeping on KID if you want. All this experience he is gaining will make him the greatest ever.”

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He even took the opportunity to call out Gervonta Davis, Shakur Stevenson, and Keyshawn Davis for a fight. “@Gervontaa @ShakurStevenson @KeyshawnDavis8 … you all can get it. Time is on our side, not yours,” he wrote. Soon after this tweet, Shields hopped on the platform to share her thoughts on the matter. 

“I’ve never heard of this happening,” she wrote. “Changing fight rds the day of a fight…… i mean in the locker room. That’s crazy.” Golden Boy Promotions, Schofield’s promoter, hasn’t commented on the matter as of the time of writing. Meanwhile, a well-known boxing journalist has shared his thoughts on the matter as well.

Not just Claressa Shields, Chris Mannix was shocked by the situation involving Floyd Schofield 

Journalist and boxing commentator Chris Mannix was ringside for the entire event last Saturday in Las Vegas. He was the one who took Schofield’s in-ring interview as well. As it turns out, even Mannix wasn’t aware of such a last-minute change in the boxer’s contract. “If true, this is pretty wild,” Mannix wrote on X reacting to the revelation. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard of anything like this.” He also emphasized the inconsistencies regarding the contracted weight of Bektemir Melikuziev, who won against David Stevens by split decision. Mannix wrote, “Combined with the discrepancy with the contract weights for Bek and David Stevens and there was a lot going on this show.” 

Notably, Melikuziev weighed in at 170.0 pounds, two pounds heavier than the limit during the final weigh-ins for the bout. This discrepancy rendered Stevens the only fighter eligible for the WBA title eliminator, but his defeat ensured that neither fighter would have the opportunity to compete for it.

That being said, both Claressa Shields and Chris Mannix seem in utter disbelief at the revelation from Floyd Schofield. However, the reality of the situation is yet to be revealed as all involved parties comment on the matter. What do you think about the last-minute change in the contract?