Valenzuela Pressures WBA for Shot at Schofield's Belt

Jose "Rayo" Valenzuela is publicly pushing the WBA to name him the next challenger for Floyd Schofield's lightweight title, a move that could scramble Schofield's plans for a quick first defense.

Valenzuela took to X and tagged the WBA directly, responding to a post that argued Schofield needs to face a mandatory or top available contender before entertaining any unification fights. "Let's make it happen," Valenzuela wrote. Schofield won the vacant title Saturday in Chicago with a win over Lucas Bahdi, and Golden Boy's Oscar De La Hoya has already floated unification talks for the new champion.

Does Valenzuela Have a Legitimate Claim?

Jose Valenzuela has a real case on paper, though not an automatic one. The WBA's September rankings had Schofield at number one, Bahdi at number two and Valenzuela at number three. With Schofield now holding the belt and Bahdi fresh off a loss, Valenzuela is next in line by ranking alone. That does not make him the mandatory challenger, and the WBA would still need to formally order the fight for Golden Boy to be on the hook for it.

There's also a wrinkle in the rules themselves. The vacant-title provision Valenzuela leaned on in his post requires a new non-heavyweight champion to make his first defense within 120 days, but it does not flatly ban voluntary defenses in the meantime. That leaves Golden Boy with some room to maneuver, even if it can't simply ignore Valenzuela's standing in the rankings.

Valenzuela, 27, enters this conversation on the back of a second-round knockout of Edwin De Los Santos on June 28, a finish that drew some criticism from fans who felt he landed shots after De Los Santos was already down and wanted a no contest or disqualification instead. The result stands as a knockout win on his 16-3 record with 10 knockouts.

What's Standing in the Way of This Fight

The biggest obstacle isn't the WBA rulebook, it's the business side. Valenzuela fights for Zuffa Boxing and appears on Paramount+, while Schofield is tied to Golden Boy and DAZN. Even if the WBA leans toward ordering the fight, the two promotions would still need to agree on terms, purse splits and where it airs. That kind of cross-promotional, cross-network deal has derailed plenty of mandated fights before they ever got made.

Betting Angle

There's no fight on the books yet, so there's no line to look at, but the situation is worth watching for bettors who follow the 135-pound division. Schofield is coming off the biggest win of his career and will likely be favored heavily in any matchup Golden Boy arranges, whether that's a voluntary defense or a WBA-ordered fight with Valenzuela. If the WBA does push this toward a mandatory, expect Golden Boy to negotiate hard for Schofield to stay the betting favorite at home or on a network that suits DAZN's deal, which could affect how aggressively Zuffa Boxing fights for the booking. Until the sanctioning body actually rules, this stays a political story more than a betting one.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Jose Valenzuela want the WBA to order a fight with Floyd Schofield?

Jose Valenzuela was ranked third by the WBA at lightweight in September, behind Floyd Schofield and Lucas Bahdi, and with Schofield now champion and Bahdi coming off a loss, Valenzuela believes he deserves the next shot at the title.

Is the Schofield vs. Valenzuela fight official?

No, the fight is not official. Valenzuela is publicly lobbying the WBA on social media, but the sanctioning body has not issued a mandatory order and Golden Boy has not agreed to the matchup.

What is stopping Floyd Schofield from fighting Jose Valenzuela right away?

Schofield is promoted by Golden Boy and fights on DAZN, while Valenzuela fights for Zuffa Boxing on Paramount+, so any matchup would require the two promotions to negotiate terms and a broadcast arrangement beyond any WBA ruling.