Lightweight prospect Floyd Schofield made quick work of tough Tijuana journeyman Ricardo Lopez Torres in the co-featured bout to the Ryan Garcia-Oscar Duarte main event at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas on Saturday.
Schofield (16-0, 12 KOs) only needed a little more than half of the opening round to overwhelm Torres, who was dropped four times (from hooks and one from a stiff jab) before the referee waved the bout off at 1:51. Torres (17-8-3, 12 KOs) lasted seven rounds with another unbeaten lightweight prospect, Marc Castro, in April.
It was by far the best performance of the 21-year-0ld Austin, Texas resident, who fought for the fourth time in 2023, and admits that he’s learning fight by fight.
A Masterclass from Kid Austin.
Floyd Schofield @KidAustin11 gets the knockout win in the first.
Main event is next, only on DAZN.#GarciaDuarte #UnrivalledOnDAZN pic.twitter.com/gRMf5t4qr6
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) December 3, 2023
“I used my jab to set everything up (he learned from previous bout). He really didn’t want fight after the first knockdown, so I got him out of here. This is what happens when I use my jab.
“I didn’t use my jab in my last bout (a 10-round decision over Haskell Rhodes), so I used my jab to set everything up (against Torres),” Schofield said during his post-fight interview on DAZN, which streamed the final four bouts of the Golden Boy Promotions card.
“He really didn’t want fight after the first knockdown, so I got him out of here. This is what happens when I use my jab. I felt good. I work super hard. I put the work in, and I think it showed tonight.”
Schofield, who is already rated No. 5 by the WBA, appears to be gaining ground on his better known and more accomplished peers in the lightweight division, such as The Ring-ranked Gervonta Davis, Shakur Stevenson, William Zepeda and Raymund Muratalla.
“I’m ready for them all,” Schofield said. “Throw them at me. I’ll take my time and listen to Oscar De La Hoya and Bernard Hopkins.”
He has everyone on his radar! @KidAustin11 talks with @BoxingwithAk & @TheBoxingBully after his first round KO.
The future looks bright for the 21 year old.
Main event is next only on DAZN. #GarciaDuarte #UnrivalledOnDAZN pic.twitter.com/pkeLBMkLli
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) December 3, 2023
Middleweight fringe contender Shane Mosley Jr. continued his march to world title bout (mostly likely one of the WBA straps) by stopping cagey spoiler Josh Conley after six rounds.
Mosley (21-4, 12 KOs), the 27-year-old son of the hall of famer currently based in Las Vegas, patiently stalked and outworked Conley until the tough journeyman told his corner that he’d had enough at the close of Round 6. The 27-year-old San Bernadino resident had moments during the fight, especially in Round 3 when he connected with a few head-swiveling hooks, but a cut near his left eye suffered in Round 2 hampered his vision and he was soundly outworked and outmaneuvered by Mosley.
Mosley rocked Conley twice in Round 6, but the dangerous veteran, who went the 10-round distance with hard-hitting veterans Sergiy Derevyanchenko and Steven Butler in back-to-back bouts in 2022, appeared to stun Mosley with a hook just before the bell. However, Conley was out of gas at the close of the round and he knew it.
In the opening bout of the DAZN broadcast, super middleweight prospect Darius Fulghum was too much for game but outgunned Pachino Hill. Fulghum (9-0, 9 KOs), a 27-year-old college graduate and amateur standout (in the 201-pound division), pressed Hill (8-5-1, 6 KOs) to the ropes with a stiff jab, working the Iowa journeyman over with crisp body-head combinations until the referee saved him from undue punishment.
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The post Garcia-Duarte undercard: Schofield obliterates Torres in opening round appeared first on The Ring.