by Keith Idec
FLOYD SCHOFIELD’s confidence caused the most troublesome moment of his developing career Saturday night.
Hellbent on entertaining fans during a fight he was winning comfortably, the 22-year-old lightweight contender traded with rugged Rene Tellez Giron enough to suffer the first knockdown of his career in a bout he eventually won by unanimous decision. A counter left hook by Giron landed behind Schofield’s right ear and sent him to one knee and his gloves with 1:12 to go in the 11th round of their 12-round fight at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas.
That flash knockdown didn’t hurt Schofield badly, but it served as a reminder to be more mindful of defense. Floyd Schofield Sr., the gifted fighter’s father and trainer, scolded his son throughout this bout because he felt one of boxing’s most tantalizing talents fought rather recklessly.
Schofield reached his feet quickly and adequately answered referee Thomas Taylor’s commands after Giron sent him down during the 11th round. The Austin, Texas native regained his composure, instinctually fought his way out of that trouble and, five minutes later, secured a decisive win on the cards of judges Tim Cheatham (118-109), Patricia Morse Jarman (116-111) and David Sutherland (118-109).
Schofield (18-0, 12 KOs), who is represented by Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions, predicted to DAZN’s broadcast team during their pre-fight meeting that he would knock out the durable Giron within four rounds. Mexico’s Giron (20-4, 13 KOs), who upset 2016 U.S. Olympian Karlos Balderas (14-2, 12 KOs) by sixth-round knockout in December 2019, has lost only on points in nine years as a pro.
“I feel real good,” Schofield told DAZN’s Chris Mannix in the ring. “You know, Rene’s a tough fighter. You know, I slept on it – he got a little bit of power. But, you know, thank you to Rene. He’s a incredible, tough fighter. And, you know, on to the next.”
Punch statistics showed Schofield was much more effective overall. CompuBox counted 187 more connections for Schofield (259-of-771 to 72-of-292).
Giron’s toughness nevertheless left an impression on the ascending Schofield.
“I think I hit him with like a four-piece combination,” Schofield recalled. “And I cracked him, and I’m like, ‘Man, he just standing right in front of me.’ I’m like, ‘I might have to go all 12, so.’ ”
The fast-handed, powerful Schofield disappointed his father and veteran trainer Ronnie Shields, who also worked his corner. He doesn’t regret giving fans entertainment value for their money, though.
“They just wanted me to stay on my jab, stay on the bike,” Schofield said. “But, you know, I wanna give the fans an entertaining fight, at the end of the day, and you know, just bang it out if I gotta bang it out, you know? I knew he wasn’t gonna stand there and let me box him the whole fight. You seen he just kept coming forward every time I threw, so I was like, ‘You know what? I’mma box smart, but I’mma also give the fans a show.’ ”
Schofield switched stances and mostly controlled the action thanks to his hand and foot speed, superior versatility and combination punching. Eight rounds prior to going down, however, Giron appeared to initially buzz him when Giron landed a right in an exchange, which left Schofield holding him with just under 25 seconds remaining in the third round.
Several seconds later, Schofield turned his back on Giron and pointed to the back of his head, where Giron also inadvertently landed a punch. Taylor stepped between them before Giron could’ve, within the rules, hit Schofield while the favored fighter faced a different direction.
Schofield informed Mannix that he wasn’t hurt in the third round or the 11th round. Those two tenuous sequences still served as fuel for critics, including WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson (22-0, 10 KOs), that contend Schofield isn’t ready to challenge Stevenson or WBA lightweight champ Gervonta “Tank” Davis (30-0, 28 KOs), both of whom Scholfield called out before he encountered Giron.
