Notebook: Schofield out of Shakur fight, replacement in works
Full PPV lineup, details; Mbilli going in new direction; former WBC champion dies; Abdullah Mason next fight set; Quick hits; Show and tell
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Floyd Schofield strongly called out WBC lightweight titleholder Shakur Stevenson and managed to convince his team at Golden Boy Promotions, which was reluctant, to go along with the fight when an offer came.
But Schofield, who was supposed to challenge Stevenson in a huge step up in competition on the Riyadh Season card headlined by the rematch between undisputed light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev and former titlist Dmitry Bivol on Saturday (DAZN PPV, PPV.COM, 10:30 a.m., $25.99) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, withdrew from the fight on Tuesday.
Schofield fell ill and was taken to the hospital in Riyadh, multiple sources told Fight Freaks Unite, confirming a report by Ring magazine, which is owned by Turki Alalshikh, who oversees Riyadh Season.
The sources said organizers are hoping to sign a suitable replacement and the WBC has already received a request as the situation plays out.