With the roaring cheer of countless eager fans filling the Texas atmosphere, Floyd “Kid Austin” Schofield (15-0, 11 KOs) didn’t disappoint as he expertly defended his WBA International Title. His opponent, Haskell “Hackman” Rhodes (28-5-1, 13 KOs) from Las Vegas, Nevada, fought fiercely in a 10-round lightweight bout that took every ounce of their strength.
Despite being floored thrice in the match, twice in round seven and once in round eight, Rhodes managed to hang on till the end, a testament to his astonishing stamina. Schofield too had to overcome hurdles, powering through a severe gash on his left cheek in the ninth round, caused by an unintentional head clash. With a unanimous score of 100-87 from all three judges, the victory was sealed. The entire spectacle was live-streamed on DAZN from the AT&T Center.
“Boxing is about confronting obstacles within the ring,” Floyd Schofield noted. “When I got the cut, I didn’t feel a thing, I pleaded with the ref not to halt the fight. Rhodes has quite a chin, and I’m glad he’s going back to his family.”
The gala evening was graced by several esteemed personalities including Chairman and CEO Oscar De La Hoya, Golden Boy Partner and International Hall of Famer Bernard Hopkins, Congressman Joaquin Castro, Texas State Representative John Lujan, and more.
In a remarkable return to form, Joseph “JoJo” Diaz Jr. (33-4-1, 15 KOs) from South El Monte, California, clinched a unanimous win against Jerry Perez (14-3-1, 11 KOs) from Harbor City, California. The thrilling welterweight contest went all 10-rounds, Diaz Jr.’s performance eliciting rounds of applause from the crowd. The scorecards read 97-93, 97-93, and 98-92.
“I’m pleased with my comeback, managing to last the 10-rounds,” Diaz Jr. acknowledged. “I’d grade my performance a B, but I’ll be bringing my A-game when I return to the ring in 60 days.”
The women’s world championship unification bout saw Marlen Esparza (14-1, 1 KOs) of Houston, Texas augment her title collection. She outmaneuvered Gabriela Alaniz (14-1, 6 KOs) of Buenos Aires, Argentina, in a 10-round encounter, earning the WBO Flyweight World Title to add to her WBA, WBC, and Ring Magazine World Championship belts. The judges’ scores stood at 99-91, 95-95, 97-93.
“Alaniz was brimming with energy and ready to attack. She had the tenacity to hold her own against me, but the fight was ultimately won on strategy,” Esparza commented.
The opening fight was an eight-round super middleweight face-off between Eric Tudor (9-0, 6 KOs) of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Reggie Harris Jr. (7-4, 3 KOs) of Ann Arbor, Michigan. The contest swung back and forth, with Tudor flooring Harris Jr. in the first round and knocking his mouthguard out in round seven. The scorecards read 78-73, 77-74, 78-73.
Meanwhile, in the undercard, Tristan Kalkreuth (11-1, 8 KOs) of Duncanville, Texas, triumphed with a second-round knockout against Joe Jones (13-9,10 KOs) of Jersey City, New Jersey, in a scheduled six-round heavyweight duel.
Lastly, the six-round cruiserweight fight that kicked off the proceedings saw Darius “DFG” Fulghum (6-0, 6 KOs) of Houston, best Jeremiah Curtright (2-2, 2 KOs) of Saint Charles, Missouri via a third-round TKO at the 2:17 mark.