Schofield Pitches a Shutout, Diaz Gets a Win & Esparza Gifted a Unification
In a lopsided affair, WBA #6 ranked lightweight contender “Kid Austin” Floyd Schofield (15-0, 11KO) easily defeated veteran Haskell Rhodes (28-5-1, 13KO).
Elevated to the main event slot, Kid Austin delighted the home crowd with a sensational display of speed, counterpunching, athleticism, and power. He maintained his sharpness throughout the entire fight.
In round seven, Rhodes attempted to work his way inside, but Kid Austin’s right-hook counters dropped him twice as he tried to escape along the ropes.
Schofield relentlessly attacked body, ultimately landing a debilitating hook that forced Rhodes to take a knee in the eighth round. Drama unfolded late when a clash of heads caused a severe cut on Kid Austin’s face, adding a new element of challenge to the fight.
Despite the cut, Schofield adamantly expressed his desire to continue the fight, showcasing his determination and resilience. He boxed with finesse, bringing the show to a remarkable close. In the end, all three judges scored the fight 100-87 in favor of the young Texan.
During the post-fight interview, Schofield wasted no time calling out another emerging young talent in Keyshawn Davis, signaling his readiness to take on new challenges and continue his ascent in the lightweight division.
JOSEPH DIAZ BREAKS LOSING STREAK AGAINST JERRY PEREZ
In a junior welterweight bout, Joseph “Jo Jo” Diaz (33-4-1, 15KO) emerged victorious, breaking his three-fight losing streak with a convincing win over his former sparring partner, Jerry Perez (14-3-1, 11KO).
Realizing this is a must-win situation, former IBF junior lightweight champion Diaz showcased excellent precision and accuracy with the straight left hand to the body.
Perez attempted to establish his offense by looking for opportunities to land his straight right hand. However, Diaz’s exceptional footwork and defensive skills allowed him to capitalize on the openings by landing powerful counter hooks and uppercuts, inflicting heavy damage on his opponent.
As previously mentioned, Diaz and Perez were once sparring partners and their familiarity was evident throughout the fight. Towards the end of the fight, Perez increased his volume and found success with right-hand shots.
Diaz’s relentless assault on the body played a huge factor in the match. He unleashed a variety of punches in hitting Perez with everything including the kitchen sink. When the final bell rang, one judge scored the fight 98-92, while the other two judges had it 97-93 in favor of Diaz.
MARLEN ESPARZA TAKES THE WBO TITLE FROM GABRIELA ALANIZ
A solid unification fight got overshadowed by a horrible scorecard as unified champion Marlen Esparza (14-1, 1KO) walked away with three belts after defeating WBO champion Gabriela “La Chucky” Alaniz (14-1, 6KO).
Alaniz’s volume-punching and aggressive style was a problem early in the fight. La Chucky continued to pump out punches like a video game on cheat mode, landing the right hand followed up with body shots.
Esparza turned things around in the middle rounds by using the jab to offset the rhythm of the WBO champion. Moreover, she was fighting well off the backfoot and was able to land the right hand down the middle, taking advantage of Alaniz’s lack of head movement.
As the final rounds approached, Esparza had success with body shots, and the jab came back into play. Alaniz was relentless and was landing those uppercuts and body shots.
When the final bell sounded, one judge scored it 95-95, as the other two scores were 99-91, and 97-93 in favor of the Esparza, who was fighting in front of the home crowd in Texas. 3Kings Boxing scored it 96-94 for Alaniz. The disrespectful middle scorecard is disgraceful and something needs to be done because scorecards like that are hurting the sport.
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