Floyd Schofield Outlasts Bahdi, Wins Vacant WBA Title

Floyd Schofield won the vacant WBA lightweight title Saturday night at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, surviving a knockdown scare and a wild sixth round to beat Lucas Bahdi by unanimous decision. The scorecards read 116-110, 119-108 and 115-111, numbers that undersell just how uncomfortable Bahdi made things for boxing's new 135-pound titleholder.

Schofield (20-0, 13 KOs) came in a heavy betting favorite and looked every bit the faster, more technical fighter early, darting in behind his jab and sliding out before Bahdi could counter. A left hook dropped Bahdi in round three and gave Schofield command of the fight on paper. But Bahdi (20-1, 15 KOs) kept finding his target with heavier shots and body work, and the two had it out in a brutal sixth round that saw both men hurt. Schofield chose to stand and trade rather than retreat, which made for a better fight than the oddsmakers priced in but also left him exposed to exactly the kind of power that had kept Bahdi unbeaten.

What Went Wrong for Floyd Schofield in the Later Rounds

The scorecards suggest a comfortable win, but Floyd Schofield's night got complicated the deeper the fight went. After the knockdown in round three, Schofield returned to movement and counterpunching, using lateral angles to keep Bahdi chasing and unable to plant his feet for the power shots that worked for him earlier. That strategy won him rounds on volume and clean work, but it also meant long stretches where Bahdi was still landing the harder, more eye-catching punches.

The ninth and eleventh rounds added confusion to an already tense fight. A Bahdi right hand put Schofield's knee on the canvas in round nine without the referee ruling it a knockdown, and Bahdi was awarded a knockdown of his own in round eleven on a sequence where the two fighters' feet appeared tangled. Officiating calls like those rarely change a final verdict this one-sided on two of the three cards, but they kept the action unpredictable until Schofield got through the twelfth and the judges confirmed his new title.

Betting Angle: Did Floyd Schofield Cover as a Heavy Favorite?

Sportsbooks had Floyd Schofield as roughly an -850 favorite heading into fight night, with Lucas Bahdi sitting around +550 as the live underdog, and Schofield delivered the expected result on the scorecard even if he did not deliver the comfortable performance that price implied. Bettors who backed Schofield to win cashed, but anyone who touched the over on rounds or live-bet Bahdi during that sixth-round exchange got real value before the fight swung back in the favorite's direction.

That gap between the pre-fight price and the actual difficulty of the fight is the real signal here. Schofield's speed and jab are legitimate weapons against limited pressure fighters, but Bahdi proved live underdogs with one-punch power are live price for a reason, and books will likely shade Schofield's number closer in any rematch or voluntary defense rather than installing him as another prohibitive favorite. His team now has to decide whether tightening the defense matters more than chasing the next big number, because trading unnecessarily with a puncher like Bahdi is not a formula that survives against the rest of a deep 135-pound division.

Floyd Schofield's first title defense will be the real test of what Saturday's fight exposed. The speed and jab are proven commodities. Whether he can win rounds without needing to survive them is the open question the judges could not answer for him.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who won the fight between Floyd Schofield and Lucas Bahdi?

Floyd Schofield won by unanimous decision over Lucas Bahdi, with scorecards of 116-110, 119-108 and 115-111, to capture the vacant WBA lightweight title in Chicago.

Did Lucas Bahdi knock down Floyd Schofield?

Lucas Bahdi was credited with a knockdown of Floyd Schofield in round eleven, though their feet appeared tangled on the play, and a separate knee-down moment in round nine was not ruled a knockdown.

What was the betting line for Schofield vs. Bahdi?

Sportsbooks made Floyd Schofield roughly an -850 favorite over Lucas Bahdi, who was priced near +550, heading into their WBA lightweight title fight.