Floyd “Kid Austin” Schofield crowned WBA lightweight world champion with victory over Lucas Bahdi

Floyd “Kid Austin” Schofield defeats Lucas Bahdi in WBA world lightweight championship clash

Undefeated rising star Floyd “Kid Austin” Schofield (20-0, 13 KOs) captured the vacant WBA lightweight world title with a unanimous decision victory over MVP’s previously unbeaten Canadian Lucas Bahdi (20-1, 15KOs) at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, live on DAZN.

The judges scored the 12-round bout 116-110, 119-108 and 115-111, all in favor of Schofield. Schofield set the tone early, dropping Bahdi in the third round before using his superior speed, movement and sharp combinations to control much of the action.

Bahdi remained dangerous throughout, landing several heavy shots and scoring a knockdown of his own in the 11th round. Despite being tested, Schofield stayed composed, consistently landed the cleaner punches and did enough to secure his first world championship while preserving his undefeated record. The event was presented by Golden Boy Promotions in co-promotion with Most Valuable Promotions (MVP).

In the co-main event, Sergio “Yoreme” Mendoza (28-1, 24 KOs) of Hermosillo, Mexico, captured the WBA and WBC world titles with a fifth-round TKO victory over Ricardo “El Niño” Sandoval (27-3, 18 KOs) of Rialto, Calif. Mendoza dropped Sandoval twice during a series of heated exchanges in the second round. Sandoval attempted to adjust over the next three rounds, but Mendoza continued to apply pressure before scoring a third knockdown in the fifth. Although Sandoval returned to his feet, the referee determined he was unable to continue and stopped the fight. The scheduled 12-round co-feature was presented by Golden Boy and BXSTRS Promotions.

"The difference tonight was being at my natural weight of 112 and having a great training camp – we trained so hard and it paid off, said Mendoza.”

“I wasn’t concerned about a comeback by Sandoval, he was badly hurt after the two knockdowns and it was just a matter of time.”

“I loved fighting here in Chicago in front of so many Mexican fans, it made me feel like I was fighting at home."

MVP’s U.S. Olympian Jahmal Harvey (5-0, 4 KOs) of Oxon Hill, Maryland, continued his impressive start to his professional career with a spectacular third-round TKO victory over Mexico’s Pedro Castaneda (9-2-1, 5 KOs) in a scheduled eight-round lightweight bout. The 2024 U.S. Olympian showcased his superior speed, technical skill, and power from the opening bell, using a sharp jab and crisp combinations to break down Castaneda’s defense through the first two rounds. Early in the third, Harvey unleashed a devastating left hand that sent Castaneda crashing to the canvas. Although Castaneda beat the count, he was unable to continue, prompting the referee to stop the fight at 1:08 of the third round. The emphatic finish marked Harvey’s fourth stoppage in just five professional victories, further cementing the 23-year-old’s status as one of America’s brightest rising boxing prospects.

“The body attack tonight was efficient and gave me the ability to control the action and the pace,” said Harvey.

“I threw him off with the knockout punch, he was trying to counter punch me.”

“I love fighting in the pros, much easier to get knockouts.”

“It was great to fight here in Chicago; the atmosphere and support was terrific. Gotta fight at home in Maryland soon, they’re all waiting for me.”

Opening the main card live on DAZN from Wintrust Arena in Chicago, MVP’s undefeated Jan Paul Rivera (17-0, 7 KOs) of Salinas, Puerto Rico, delivered a dominant performance against Abraham Perfecto Valdez (14-3, 9 KOs) of Tecate, Mexico, in a 10-round super featherweight bout at 130 lbs. The 25-year-old Rivera established control from the opening bell, showcasing his superior boxing skills before dropping Perfecto Valdez with a powerful left hook in the second round. Rivera continued to dictate the pace throughout the fight, consistently outboxing and outworking his opponent en route to a commanding unanimous decision victory (99-89 x3), preserving his perfect professional record and continuing his rise in the super featherweight division.

On the preliminary card, sponsored by Scotch Porter, Tristan “Sweet T” Kalkreuth (18-1, 13 KOs) of Las Vegas, NV stopped undefeated Ivan Rosado (12-1, 9 KOs) of San Juan, Puerto Rico in the 3rd round of their cruiserweight contest. Kalkreuth threw a flurry of punches, prompting the ref to stop the fight with a time of 0:44 via TKO in the aforementioned round. 

“Very happy with my performance, we worked in the gym on utilizing range and distance and that worked great especially with this guy, said Kalkreuth.”

“The knockdown in the first was great but he was still very dangerous and he hit me with a couple good shots afterwards.”

“I’d like to fight again at the beginning of next year. No one specific in the cruiserweight division but they see me and know I’m coming.”

Cristian Williams (15-0, 8 KOs) of Chicago, IL defeated Asa Stevens (7-1-1, 2 KOs) of Waianae, HI via unanimous decision in a 8 round super featherweight bout keeping his undefeated streak. Scorecards were 74-78, 74-78 and 75-77 all in favor of Williams.

“I had to make some adjustments in the fight early on, he had a couple good moves and was awkward, but I listened to my corner and was able to figure him out, " said Williams.

“The seventh round with the head shot hurt him badly and I could see that it changed the fight.

Feels great to fight at home, I want to continue inspiring the young kids in the city and show them there is a different route to go. Very thankful to Golden Boy for putting me on such a big show and letting me showcase my skills.”

“I’m going to talk to my team and we’ll sort out what’s next.”

Undefeated U.S. Olympian Joshua “The Rocket” Edwards (8-0, 7 KOs) of Houston, Texas demonstrated his amateur pedigree and rising status as a heavyweight pro against Craig Lewis (15-10-1, 8 KOs). After two dominant rounds from Edwards, the referee halted the bout due to injury at :01 of round 3, awarding Edwards the win by TKO.

“I planned on using my jab a little more but was very happy with the way my overhand rights worked, they did a lot of damage, " said Joshua Edwards.

“My trainer Ronnie Shields and I worked in the gym on my feinting and then using the reaction to place the best shots. We’ve worked a lot on my balance in the gym and it’s improved a great deal.

I’m a gym rat; I’ll take a week off and be right back in the gym. I wanted a much more conclusive stoppage, but I had hurt him pretty badly and he didn’t want to fight anymore.

Would love to fight again this year."

Thermal, Calif.’s undefeated Grant Flores (14-0, 10 KOs) earned a second round TKO of Chicago’s Mikey Dahlman (19-3, 17 KOs)

“What we worked on in the gym worked in the fight, especially going to the body for the knockdown in the second round, said Grant Flores."

"It’s important I use my length, the punches that land at the end hurt the most.”

"This is my second fight with Robert Garcia and I can really tell the difference, I’m much more cool, calm and collected. I get the best sparring at RGBA."

“I had a fight get cancelled in June due to my appendix, but now I’m ready to fight often, hopefully once more this year."

Opening the card, MVP’s and Costa Rica’s rising flyweight contender Naomy Valle (16-1, 9 KOs) defeated Mexico’s Sheyla Moreno (5-2-1, 1 KO) by unanimous decision (77-74, 78-72, 78-73) after eight rounds.