CHICAGO — Floyd Schofield was introduced first, a Dominican flag behind him, and the crowd at Wintrust Arena went all in. A few Bahdi supporters chanted his name as Schofield was announced, but when Lucas Bahdi’s name was called, boos took over the building. The crowd had picked its side.
Floyd “Kid Austin” Schofield gave them what they wanted. After 469 days away from the ring, he beat Bahdi by unanimous decision (116-110, 119-108, 115-111) to win the vacant WBA lightweight title and improve to 20-0 with 13 knockouts.
His speed showed from the first bell. Schofield came forward fast and athletic, then bounced in and out of range while Bahdi hunted for his right hand. Schofield had the quicker hands. Bahdi had the heavier ones, and he proved it early with a clean right in the first round, then a right hook to the body and another right upstairs in the second. Schofield felt it and respected it. He never stood still in front of that right hand.
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The third round turned the fight. A right hand from Schofield backed Bahdi up, and a flurry followed that had Bahdi holding on until the referee separated them. Then a right hook to the ear hurt him, and a check left hook to the temple sent Bahdi through the ropes. The referee counted it as a knockdown. Bahdi survived the eight count.
Bahdi did not fold. He buckled Schofield’s legs with a left hand late in one round. In a slugfest in the middle rounds, both men got hurt, and a wide overhand right to the temple rocked Schofield before he answered with heavy rights of his own. Later, a strong Bahdi uppercut landed on Schofield’s chin. But Schofield kept moving.
In the eighth, Chris Mannix noticed Bahdi’s output dropping and said on the broadcast that he had to let his hands go, and Sergio Mora called it a wasted round for him.
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Bahdi had his chances late. In the ninth, a looping right hand sent Schofield’s knee to the canvas, but the referee did not call a knockdown. The replay showed the knee touching, and the broadcast team said it should have been scored one. Two rounds later, Bahdi got the knockdown he was looking for when a right hand put Schofield down in the 11th. With about 30 seconds left in the 12th, Bahdi landed another right and Schofield answered with a left. Floyd Schofield Sr. yelled for his son to box and not take any chances, and Mora agreed. Bahdi climbed the ropes at the final bell, and both men looked like they believed they had done enough. Each man had scored a knockdown, but the judges said Schofield had done more.
After the decision, Chris Mannix asked Schofield how it felt to finally be called a champion after so much work. Schofield pointed to his corner. “I stuck with my father’s gameplan and I am glad I can accomplish what I accomplished.”
Schofield had been caught on a hot mic at the final press conference promising to whoop Bahdi, and he explained how that changed once the fight started. “I wanted to box but I was trying to beat his ass,” he said, “but during the fight I figured yeah, he has some power so it’s best to stay on the back foot.” He did not hide how much Bahdi’s power mattered. “He’s got some pop, I won’t lie. I wanted to get it back because I was embarrassed, but my dad said to take it round by round. It’s not worth to get back on the cards and get caught with a heavy shot.”
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He also had a word for the man he beat. “Hats off to Lucas,” Schofield said, “but I am glad he can go back to his family safely.”
Asked about the years of bouncing from gym to gym to make this happen, Schofield Sr. kept it short. “I am going to go in the back and cry,” he said. “I did my job as a dad.” He also said his son can beat Gervonta Davis, William Zepeda and Shakur Stevenson.
The co-main event had the night’s other big moment. Sergio Mendoza, who replaced the injured Oscar Collazo, dropped champion Ricardo Sandoval twice in the second round, the second time with a left uppercut, and the bell saved him. Mendoza dropped him a third time in the fifth with a hard right hand, and the referee stopped it with 1:15 left in the round. Mendoza is the new unified WBA and WBC flyweight champion, and Mora called it the upset of the year.
Mendoza broke into tears in the ring and dedicated the win to his brother, who recently passed away. He said he made the trip to Chicago with only his team, no family or friends, to stay focused. “I’m not a natural 108, I’m a natural 112, and everyone just saw it,” he said.
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Asked what is next, Schofield kept it simple. “I want to go enjoy my son and my baby girl so whatever Oscar and my dad say.” De La Hoya, asked how it felt to crown a new champion, looked ahead. “We are bringing great boxing back to Chicago,” he said. “Bahdi will be back and become better but now we are excited to unify.” William Zepeda holds the WBC lightweight title and Abdullah Mason holds the WBO. The broadcast team said Zepeda makes the most sense, since both fighters are with Golden Boy.
It started with a whisper on a hot mic. It ended with Floyd Schofield a world champion.
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