There was plenty of anticipation surrounding last night’s event at Chicago’s Wintrust Arena, promoted by Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions in collaboration with MVP Promotions. The main event featured the vacant WBA lightweight title, contested between Floyd Schofield (20-0) and Lucas Bahdi (20-1). Schofield won by unanimous decision, with scores of 116-110, 119-108 and 115-111, after a fight that was explosive at times and certainly not without danger for the eventual winner.
The Fight
The opening round was largely a feeling-out process, although both fighters let their hands go from the outset. Schofield appeared to be looking for power, while Canada’s Bahdi targeted the body in an attempt to create openings.
The Texas-born second-generation fighter looked very focused and quick. His in-and-out footwork, combined with sharp punches, confused Bahdi, although the Canadian still managed to land a few heavy single right hands that got Schofield’s attention.
In the third round, after landing a right hand, Schofield began applying heavy pressure, repeatedly catching his opponent against the ropes. Bahdi managed to regain the center of the ring, but Schofield still looked quicker. In the final minute of the round, Floyd found his opponent with a series of one-twos that rocked Bahdi and forced him to push forward. In the final 30 seconds, the Canadian was also given a count after being hurt by a right hook.
The fourth round was fought at a more measured pace, with Schofield circling around the ring while Bahdi held the center. Only in the closing seconds did both men manage to land hard shots.
The fifth and sixth rounds followed much the same pattern. Schofield continued to move and score with the jab, while Bahdi tried to close the distance but did not always manage to find the right range.
Then came the final minute of the sixth, when a truly spectacular exchange broke out: heavy punches landed from both sides, but both men stood their ground. Up to that point, it was the best round of the fight, with both fighters trading openly and the crowd coming alive.
Despite the excellent conditioning of both fighters, the pace eventually dropped and the movement resumed. The Texan stepped in sharply with a few jabs and several one-twos, while the Canadian did not seem particularly imaginative on the night and appeared to rely mainly on his power.
Lucas Bahdi struggled to bring continuity to his boxing, but he still managed to land some heavy shots during the exchanges late in the rounds, when Schofield also stopped circling and accepted the fight at close quarters.
Before the start of the eleventh round, the referee called for the doctor to check Lucas Bahdi, who appeared to be fine. As soon as the action resumed, however, Bahdi produced a right hand out of nowhere that dropped Floyd, who was then given a count by the referee.
In the final round, Schofield tried to manage the fight and prevent the Canadian from building on what he had done in the previous round. He therefore stuck to the strategy he had used throughout the contest: relying on his speed, moving around the ring and striking at the right moment, while Bahdi continued trying to come forward.
Floyd Schofield won the fight by being smarter and faster in a contest that was fairly repetitive overall, but still featured a few sequences that had us jumping off the couch.
Lucas Bahdi tried to hang in there and keep advancing. Mentally, it was not easy to face such an elusive opponent for a fighter as powerful but rigid as he is. Italian fans may also remember him from his bout on the Tyson-Paul undercard against our own Armando Casamonica, who gave him serious problems — and many felt Bahdi’s victory that night was questionable. This time, however, he acquitted himself well in his world-title opportunity, despite falling short.
The new WBA world champion is therefore Floyd Schofield III. In a division that has not been particularly crowded lately, he may well have his say, while we will now wait to see from which checkpoint MVP’s Canadian fighter begins his comeback.