The status of certain fighters is incredibly misconstrued according to Floyd Schofield.
For the 21, he might be young and lacking experience at the top level but he believes he’s one of, if not the best, lightweight in the world. Joseph “Jo Jo” Diaz, however, doesn’t agree.
At one point, the now 31-year-old was a respected champion and viewed as one of the best lightweights around. But, it’s been several years since his transient championship run. It’s also been a while since he remained in the winner’s circle. The past three years have been brutal to him as well.
Diaz may have kicked off his 2021 with a win over Javier Fortuna but he was immediately schooled by Devin Haney just a few months later. It was another tough night at the office against William Zepeda in his next appearance.
Fighting the best of the best was something Diaz was always willing to do but his handlers figured that he needed a bit of a softer touch. So, at the start of 2023, Diaz (33-4-1, 15 KOs) took on fringe contender, Mercito Gesta.
For the first time in a long time, Diaz headed to the ring favored but even with oddsmakers on his side this time, that didn’t change the results.
Since then, Diaz has vowed to turn things around. He revealed that alcohol, amongst other things, was weighing him down. So far, following his promise, Diaz has somewhat figured things out, winning a lopsided decision over journeyman Jerry Perez. Beating a lower-tier fighter like Perez, however, won’t do much for his stock. So, the former champ is hoping to get his hands on Schofield.
Diaz has come across as ornery when Schofield’s name is brought up in conversations. For whatever reason, Diaz believes he’s been disrespected and overlooked. Schofield though, has no problem giving Diaz his flowers. With that said, the New Jersey native is of the belief that Diaz is a has-been living in the past.
“All respect to Jo Jo but he needs to know his place,” Schofield told FightHype.com during a recent sit-down interview. “At the end of the day, he’s a former champion, a 2012 Olympian but his time is over with.”