It wasn’t the main event the boxing world hoped for, but Floyd Schofield looked brilliant tonight on DAZN in a clean sweep, three knockdown victory over Haskell Rhodes in San Antonio. Schofield (15-0, 11 KO) was sharp from the very start, rocking Rhodes more than once in the opening round.
Rhodes (28-5-1, 13 KO) tried to intimidate Schofield a little in that first round, wrapping the younger man up in what looked like an attempted wrestling takedown. Schofield wasn’t intimidated, and his speed was just too much for Rhodes to handle as he struggled to tie up in close. Schofield looked great throughout, switching stances, standing between rounds, and landing anything he wanted when Rhodes wasn’t retreating too fast to get hit. He showed impressive patience for such a young fighter, never opening up or taking unnecessary risks to chase a quick knockout.
He finally caught Rhodes in the 7th, scoring two knockdowns and threatening a third until Rhodes tackled him to run out the clock on the round. Rhodes went down again in the 8th on a big shot to the body, and commentary said his corner had the towel in hand. He survived yet again, then nailed Schofield in the 9th with a headbutt that opened an ugly cut on Schofield’s cheek.
The fight was allowed to continue after a medical evaluation, and it ended up in the hands of the judges. All had it correct, with three 100-87 official scores the only reasonable take on the outcome.
Schofield didn’t get a knockout, but he did get three knockdowns along the way. A dominant showing from the young prospect, who called out Keyshawn Davis in his post-fight interview.
Schofield vs Rhodes highlights
Undercard highlights and results
Joseph Diaz Jr UD-10 vs Jerry Perez
Good body work and the sort of stamina that can only come from a man completely unconcerned with cutting to make weight carried the day for JoJo Diaz, as he snapped a three fight losing streak in the chief support fight.
You can call this a bounceback fight for Diaz (33-4-1, 15 KO) if you want. Realistically, Jerry Perez is a former sparring partner, and Diaz came in more than six pounds above the 135 limit he said he wanted to hit. He had Perez (14-3-1, 11 KO) shaken in multiple rounds, and didn’t show the focus or stamina issues we’ve seen from him in recent outings.
Perez finished strong in the 10th, but never really had an argument for the fight overall. Official scores were 97-93, 97-93, and 98-92. All very similar to our unofficial score of 98-92.
Marlen Esparza MD-10 Gabriela Alaniz
A fantastic, all-action fight between Marlen Esparza and Gabriela Alaniz was tarnished a bit by at least one indefensible scorecard, but more on that later. This one was bombs away from the very first punch, with Alaniz throwing at high volume, and Esparza working hard from the start to keep her in check.
Esparza (14-1, 1 KO) was cut in the 4th round, but it never really impacted the fight. What did was the activity of Alaniz (14-1, 6 KO), who used a high-motor, rapid-fire attack that Esparza just could not keep up with in every round.
Lots of latitude for scoring here, as Alaniz landed and threw more, while Esparza landed more clean and heavy punches. A one or two round margin either way wouldn’t be objectionable… But, a 99-91 card for Esparza was an absolute joke. The only two rounds in the fight that weren’t debatable were advantage Alaniz, so no idea how anyone saw 9 of 10 for Esparza. But, one judge did! The others had it 97-93 for Esparza, and a 95-95 draw.
No objection to the concept of a majority decision win for Esparza, who exits with three flyweight titles. But, the scoring was absurd, and it’s an unfortunate stain on an exceptional performance by both women.
Eric Tudor UD-8 Reggie Harris Jr
Uninspiring work in the opener for Eric Tudor, but the judges saw enough to let him keep his undefeated record. This was originally supposed to be on the untelevised prelims before the cancellation of Stanionis vs Ortiz, and Tudor (9-0, 6 KO) may wish it had stayed there.
Opponent Reggie Harris came in at 162.5 for a 154 pound fight, and went down in the 1st on a Tudor right hook. But any concerns about his preparation or seriousness regarding this fight were answered starting in the 3rd, as Harris (7-4, 3 KO) turned it way up, while Tudor was oddly content to fight Harris’s fight the rest of the way.
Front foot, inside fighting worked well for Harris, and you could make a case for him winning this fight by a round, despite the knockout. Judges didn’t see it that way, though, delivering official scores of 77-74, 78-73, and 78-73 for Tudor.