Vergil Ortiz Jr’s health concerns saw a 147 pound bout with Eimantas Stanionis cancelled again. Ortiz had to receive mouth-to-mouth resuscitation ahead of Friday’s weigh-in that saw the 10 round lightweight contest between Floyd Schofield and Haskell Rhodes bumped up to the main-event slot at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas.
Broadcast live on DAZN, Schofield took full advantage of the limelight to put in a more than commanding performance. Rhodes hit the canvass on three separate occasions but did see the final bell in a fight that produced very wide scores of 100-87 from each of the three judges.
The Texas native, Schofield, was in full control all evening against a survival-mode Rhodes. Schofield started to let his hands go in the opening two rounds, by round 3 he was stepping through the gears in what was looking to be early night for both men. Schofield was by this stage happy to take a shot to land one of his many combinations. However, Rhodes’s attacks were of no threat to the Texan.
Round 4 saw Rhodes’s problem start to deepen, a ramrod jab rocked him and fell back into the ropes, but Schofield was not able to capitalise against an ever surviving Rhodes. The following six minutes would see little action.
Round 7 would see Rhodes hit the canvass for the first time, but the count was waved correctly due to a push. However, it was of sign of things to come. Just moments later Rhodes was laying flat on his back from a left hook. He was down again just seconds later as Schofield scored a second knockdown from a gluttony of punches. Rhodes just about beat the count to survive a torturous round.
The 8th would see more big trouble for Rhodes. Schofield looked intent to finish his night at this stage. Another left hook landed on Rhodes’s chin which eventually sent him to his knee with 60 seconds left on the clock.
Believe it or not, it was Schofield who would hit the canvass in the 9th being caught by the head of the charging Rhodes. He was cut, but drank his own blood from the cut on his left cheek after no knockdown was called. The remainder of the fight saw little action as Schofield delighted his hometown fans with a comfortable win.
Schofield’s record improves to 15-0 (11 KOs), with Rhodes’s record now standing at 28-5-1 (13 KOs).
