SAN ANTONIO, TX (July 8, 2023): In a dominant performance in front of thousands of excited fight fans in his home state of Texas, Floyd “Kid Austin” Schofield (15-0, 11 KOs) successfully defended his WBA International Title when he defeated Haskell “Hackman” Rhodes (28-5-1, 13 KOs) of Las Vegas, Nevada. The 10-round lightweight fight went the distance, Rhodes displaying impressive resilience after being knocked down three times throughout the fight; twice in the seventh-round and once in the eighth. Schofield was also able to show his adaptability, powering through a deep cut on his left face cheek in the ninth-round from an accidental head butt. All three judges scored the bout unanimously 100-87. The fight was exclusively broadcast live on DAZN from the AT&T Center.
“It’s boxing, you’re supposed to face adversity inside the ring,” said Floyd Schofield. “I didn’t feel anything when I got the cut, I told the referee, please don’t stop this fight. Rhodes can take a hell of a punch, and I am glad that he’s going back to his family.”
The night’s special guests included 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, San Antonio Councilwoman Phyllis Viagran, Former WBA World Champion Joshua Franco, WBO World Champion Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, and other notable Golden Boy Fighters.
In a solid comeback performance, South El Monte, California’s Joseph “JoJo” Diaz Jr. (33-4-1, 15 KOs) scored a unanimous decision victory against Harbor City, California’s Jerry Perez (14-3-1, 11 KOs). The welterweight scrap went all 10-rounds, providing fan-friendly action that had attendees cheering for Diaz Jr. The judges scored the fight 97-93, 97-93, and 98-92.
“I feel good to have been able to comeback like this and get the 10-rounds in,” said Joseph Diaz Jr. “I rate my performance at a B, and when I return to the ring in 60-days I am going to be on my A-game.”
In the night’s female unification world championship fight, Unified Flyweight World Champion Marlen Esparza (14-1, 1 KOs) of Houston, Texas added the WBO Flyweight World Title to her collection that includes the WBA, WBC and Ring Magazine World Championship belts. Esparza handed the former WBO World Champion of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Gabriela Alaniz (14-1, 6 KOs), her first taste of defeat in a 10-round bout that went the distance. Esparza takes home all the belts with a majority decision, with judges scoring the fight 99-91, 95-95, 97-93.
“She was very vibrant and had a lot of energy. She had a high output and was ready to throw. She had the grit to stay in there with me. However, it was the strategy that won the fight tonight.”
Opening the broadcast with an eight-round super middleweight fight that went the distance, Romanian-American prospect Eric Tudor (9-0, 6 KOs) of Fort Lauderdale, Florida defeated Reggie Harris Jr. (7-4, 3 KOs) of Ann Arbor, Michigan via unanimous decision. The two went back-and-forth throughout the bout, Tudor sending Harris Jr to the mat in the first-round and knocking out his mouthpiece in round seven. The judges scored the fight 78-73, 77-74, 78-73.
In the preliminary fights, Tristan Kalkreuth (11-1, 8 KOs) of Duncanville, Texas won via second-round knockout at 2:12 against Joe Jones (13-9,10 KOs) of Jersey City, New Jersey. The bout was scheduled for six-rounds of heavyweight action.
Opening fight night festivities with a scheduled six-round cruiserweight fight at the AT&T Center, Houston’s Darius “DFG” Fulghum (6-0, 6 KOs) defeated Jeremiah Curtright (2-2, 2 KOs) of Saint Charles, Missouri via third-round TKO at the 2:17 mark.
