It wasn’t pretty. But, fighting through a nasty cut from a head clash and an assortment of fouls from a perpetually dirty opponent, lightweight prospect Floyd Schofield was plenty effective, his fists persuading Esteuri Suero to foul out at 2:07 of the fifth round Saturday at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas.
In the co-feature on the William Zepeda–Maxi Hughes main event, Schofield improved to 17-0 (12 KOs) when referee Raul Caiz Jr. decided he had seen enough out of the overmatched Suero.
Caiz took a point in Round 2 from Suero (13-2, 10 KOs), of the Dominican Republic, for lifting Schofield’s leg in a clinch. Another point was taken from Suero in the fourth when he lifted “Kid Austin” in the air and lightly body-slammed him to the canvas. A blatant low blow in round five was the final straw.
“Man, he was dirty,” said Schofield, 21. “I didn’t expect him to be that dirty, trying to pick me up and everything.”
Schofield said the low blow hurt, but that he was ready to continue if Caiz hadn’t ended it there.
In addition to all the fouls, Schofield, from the end of the first round onward, had to deal with a cut on his right eyebrow that was largely his own doing – because of his tendency to leap and lunge in as he went after the taller Suero. Schofield’s corner managed to keep the bleeding under control, though, and the San Antonio-based Golden Boy prospect was able to keep dictating the action.
It was mostly Schofield’s leaping left hook that was doing damage. It buckled Suero’s knees in the first round, and Schofield buzzed his opponent again late in the fourth.
Nearly every time Schofield landed a good shot, Suero initiated a clinch – then attempted some sort of dirty maneuver while clinching.
“He only did his dirty tactics because he was hurt,” Schofield said. “I had him hurt a couple of times. … He was gonna get out of there soon.”
Schofield promised a stoppage prior to the fight, but his opponent denied him, finding a different way out. Suero stormed out of the ring immediately after Caiz DQ’d him, but he was just about the only person in the building questioning the ref’s decision.