Golden Boy Promotions and Most Valuable Promotions hosted a final press conference today at Wind Creek Chicago Southland ahead of the scheduled WBA Lightweight World Championship showdown between undefeated lightweight contenders Floyd “Kid Austin” Schofield III (19-0, 13 KOs) and “Prince” Lucas Bahdi (20-0, 15 KOs). The 12-round main event takes place Saturday, October 10, live worldwide on DAZN from Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois. The event is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in co-promotion with Most Valuable Promotions (MVP).
In the co-main event, Unified WBA and WBC World Champion Ricardo “El Niño” Sandoval (27-2, 18 KOs) of Rialto, Calif., will make the first defense of his unified titles against Sergio “Yoreme” Mendoza (27-1, 23 KOs) of Hermosillo, Mex.
Rounding out the DAZN broadcast, MVP’s U.S. Olympian Jahmal Harvey (4-0, 3 KOs) of Oxon Hill, Maryland, will compete in an eight-round lightweight fight at 135lbs against Pedro Castro (9-1-1, 5 KOs) of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. In a 10-round super featherweight fight at 130lbs, MVP’s and Salinas, Puerto Rico’s undefeated Jan Paul Rivera (16-0, 7 KOs) will face Tecate, Mexico’s Abraham Valdez(14-2, 9 KOs).
On the preliminary card, which will stream live on the Golden Boy YouTube channel and sponsored by Scotch Porter, Tristan “Sweet T” Kalkreuth (17-1, 12 KOs) will face San Juan, Puerto Rico’s undefeated Ivan Rosado (12-0, 9 KOs) in a 10-round cruiserweight contest. In an eight-round super bantamweight match, Waianae, Hawaii’s Asa Stevens (7-0-1, 2 KOs) will face Chicago’s hometown hero Cristian Williams (14-0, 8 KOs). Undefeated U.S. Olympian Joshua “The Rocket” Edwards (7-0, 6 KOs) of Houston, Texas, will face Detroit, Michigan’s Craig Lewis (15-9-1, 8 KOs) in an eight-round heavyweight bout.Thermal, Calif.’s undefeated Grant Flores (13-0, 9 KOs) will take on Chicago’s Mikey Dahlman (19-2, 17 KOs) in a 10-round middleweight fight. Also joining the card, MVP’s rising contender Naomy Valle (15-1, 9 KOs) from San Jose, Costa Rica returns to the ring to face Sheyla Moreno (5-1-1, 1 KO) from Mexico City in an eight-round flyweight bout.
Here is what today’s participants of the main broadcast had to say:
OSCAR DE LA HOYA, CHAIRMAN AND CEO OF GOLDEN BOY PROMOTIONS:
“I promised the Chicago fans that we would be back. It’s a beautiful city. We love being here. A great fight town historically. We want to continue that tradition and make sure that boxing stays alive and that it is healthy here in Chicago.”
“I think this matchup is going to be one for the ages. It’s going to be one of those fights where you’re going to know exactly where you were the night of the fight when it happened 10 years from now.”
“I strongly feel it’s going to be one of those fight of the year candidates. Both guys are hungry. Both guys are undefeated. Somebody’s always got to go. When you have fights like that with talent like these guys, it’s a can’t-miss action type fight.”
“The best have to fight the best. That’s the bottom line. We believe in boxing. If you want to see the great fights, you have to fight the very best. We don’t take the easy fights.”
BRITTON HARDIN, HEAD OF U.S. BOXING, DAZN:
“First and foremost, I’m from Chicago. So thank you, Oscar, for bringing big-time boxing back to the city.”
“I’m extremely excited that Golden Boy, MVP and DAZN can come together and make this one happen for the city. It’s huge, and the city’s been asking for a big fight.”
“These two men are going to fight for an opportunity to etch their names in the history books of lightweight boxing. It’s a very exciting weight class. It’s a very exciting lineage of fighters.”
FLOYD SCHOFIELD III, LIGHTWEIGHT WORLD TITLE CONTENDER:
“This fight is for my pops. At the end of the day, he sacrificed his whole life for me just to be in this position. So I got a lot to prove Saturday.”
“I think Lucas Bahdi is a good fighter. And Saturday night, he’s going to have to show me what his team is cheering for.”
“My life changes a lot. Not only for me, but for my team and my family. That’s what I’m fighting for. I got a lot of people riding on this fight. So Saturday night, this fight is for them. It’s not just about me.”
LUCAS BAHDI, MVP’S LIGHTWEIGHT WORLD TITLE CONTENDER:
“The top two guys in the division are going to war. This is what it’s about, and I’m ready.”
“I’m very proud to be Canadian. I wear that flag on my back when I enter the ring. That was all part of the journey. Now here we are. We’re fighting for the world title, and I’m ready.”
“This is always what I’ve seen in myself. I belong here, and I’m going to show the world Saturday.”
RICARDO SANDOVAL, UNIFIED WBA & WBC FLYWEIGHT CHAMPION:
“Sergio Mendoza is an elite fighter. He’s strong, he’s focused, he’s hungry as well. It’s going to be a tough fight, but I’m 100% ready for that.”
“This is really special. This is something that I always wanted, defending my titles in front of my family. My mom just flying for the first time in a plane and having that experience is something that I always dreamed of.”
SERGIO MENDOZA, FLYWEIGHT WORLD TITLE CONTENDER:
“This is a big fight for me.”
“Of course, on my side, it will be [a war].”
JAHMAL HARVEY, MVP’S US OLYMPIAN AND RISING LIGHTWEIGHT:
“That goal [of becoming a world champion and winning a belt] could start tomorrow. For real. I’m ready whenever.”
“They’re going to see an action-packed fight. A lot of punches on my behalf. I bring the fight. I don’t believe in boring fights. I’m going to make a fight happen.”
“[Representing the US in the Olympics] was one of the greatest achievements of my life. Just walking out, getting all the camaraderie from everybody, fans that came to fly in from all over the US and on social media.”
JAN PAUL RIVERA: MVP’S AND PUERTO RICO’S SUPER FEATHERWEIGHT CONTENDER:
“I’m happy to be here in Chicago and you’re going to see the power that I have.”
“I am a fighter that has everything. It depends on what the opponent has for me, but I am a complete fighter.”
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