Floyd Schofield Impresses in 12-RD Decision, Tank vs. Roach Postponed To January, Naoya Inoue Signs to Riyadh Season, Conceicao Drops WBC Junior Lightweight Title to Foster!

Floyd Schofield gave a great showing against Rene Giron. It was Schofield's first foray into 12-round bouts, and he used every round to build experience in the ring. Schofield is a heavily promoted prospect, raking in plenty of money for Golden Boy with each match.

Many boxing media outlets and fighters were surprised that the match went all 12 rounds because Schofield's power is what makes him stand out in the lightweight division. Unfortunately, what these same individuals didn't realize, was that Schofield's opponent had never been stopped in his career. Giron only has three losses in a career that began in 2015, and all of them were by decision.

Schofield brought his best to a fight people expected him to breeze through. It was anything but- and Giron came to prove it. Schofield opened the match with an intelligent jab, stepping around with vigor. He touched Giron's guard lightly with some, others he put full force behind to score points for aggression. Schofield controlled the ring with ease in the first, cruising on to the second with little worry. From the second round onward, the fight became a chase. Schofield pressed Giron with overwhelming volume, throwing hooks that would have felled any other opponent.

However, Giron stood tall and answered Schofield's onslaught with brutal accuracy. Floyd Schofield is far from an unimportant player in the lightweight division, but this fight made it clear that he needs time to develop before he takes on a world champion at the weight class.

Each belt holder would give Schofield problems in his current state, his eagerness to come forward and neglect defense when he feels he is in control is a problem that needs to be addressed. However, it is not the fault of Schofield's coaches.

His head coach, Floyd Schofield Sr., repeatedly told his son throughout the match against Giron to avoid chasing the knockout. Several times during the DAZN broadcast, Schofield Sr. loudly screamed, “This guy's never been knocked out!” The result of this was more power punching from the younger Schofield. He relied too heavily on his power in a fight which called for composure and intelligent boxing.

Giron weathered the storm very well, having given up rounds for the chance to drop Schofield with a massive left hook that he timed exactly as Schofield opened up to throw a hook of his own. Schofield stood for the count and continued the match.

After the knockdown, Schofield began to pick up on the cues his father was giving him. He dominated the rest of the match, but the knockdown from Giron marred an otherwise great offensive display. The scores for the match read 118-109, 116-111, 118-109, all in favor of the undefeated "Kid Austin", Floyd Schofield. Schofield walked away now 18-0, and still the WBA International Lightweight Champion. Schofield is currently ranked 13th in a packed lightweight division. If he hopes to get ahead of higher competition, he will need tune-up matches to prepare.

[Gervonta "Tank" Davis vs. Lamont Roach Delayed!]

The original date for the WBA Lightweight World Championship clash between Gervonta "Tank" Davis and Lamont Roach has been delayed. Many issues were leading up to the announcement of the date, one such thing being the match's location. Houston, Texas was the original idea for PBC. The backlash from fans led PBC to also consider a return to Baltimore, Maryland because of Roach and Davis' upbringings.

Keeping the match in the "DMV", where both fighters are proudly from, would bring in a great hometown crowd. After some deliberation, it was officially announced that the fight would be taking place in the Toyota Center in December. Now, according to sources close to Davis, the fight is being moved to Q1 of 2025. This means it could happen between January and March of the following year. This will be disappointing to many fans who were eagerly anticipating Davis' return to the ring.

However, some people are dissatisfied with the match. Several Davis and Roach fans want to see each man in bigger fights. For Roach, this would be unification matches between O'Shaquie Foster, Anthony Cacace, and the winner of Emmanuel Navarrete vs. Oscar Valdez. For Davis, unification matches also await. Lomachenko, who is debatably close to retirement, has always been a name attached to Davis.

Shakur Stevenson, the WBC Lightweight World Champion, is another who fans have been calling on to win the "Tank Sweepstakes." Denys Berinchyk holds the WBO's version of the title and would be another excellent matchup for Davis. Regardless of all the dream matchups the fans have, Lamont Roach is Gervonta Davis' next opponent. Whether PBC will deliver a full statement on a date has yet to be seen.

[Naoya Inoue Signs $20 Million Deal with Riyadh Season!]

Naoya Inoue has been searching for bigger opportunities for the greater part of his career. Due to the American market's continuous rejection of fighters in lower weight classes, the two-time undisputed world champion opted to bring the big-money fights to his home country of Japan. Seats are always filled in Japan for Inoue, whether it's Korauken Hall or Ariake Hall.

His star shines brightest in his home country, and the years of hard work have finally paid off. Boxing's newest renegade, Turki Al-Al-Sheikh, extended his hand to Inoue and his team this week. On Instagram, Al-Al-Sheikh posted videos of Inoue shadowboxing in his personal ring, setting rumors ablaze. Within 30 minutes the news was confirmed by ESPN and Mark Coppinger- Inoue had signed a deal with Riyadh Season worth $20 million.

The number of fights on this deal has not been made public yet, but Al-Al-Sheikh's quiet moves in the background mean that Inoue will most likely have elevated bouts in the coming year. By no means does this stamp out the inferno Inoue started in Japan, it is the opposite. The fact that Riyadh Season took note of Inoue's work and made a conscious effort to sign him discreetly instead of announcing negotiations proves that Inoue is a kingpin in the sport. Boxing purists mention Inoue's name alongside Gervonta “Tank” Davis and Terence Crawford, but casual fans around the world have not yet been drawn in.

Al-Al-Sheikh and Riyadh Season aim to make big-money fights that can get Inoue traction outside of just the Japanese and American markets. The plan is to grow Inoue worldwide just like the men mentioned prior. While Davis did notoriously go back and forth with Al-Al-Sheikh on social media, Crawford worked closely with the Minister of Sport and inked a deal that granted him another opportunity he needed to get worldwide acclaim. After fighting Israil Madrimov this past summer, Crawford saw millions of new fans flock to him. If Al-Al-Sheikh can repeat this formula for Inoue, the sky is the limit for the current super-bantamweight king.

A good guess for Inoue's next opponent after Sam Goodman on Christmas Eve would be Shabaz Masoud, the only other belt holder in the weight class. Masoud defeated Liam Davies on a Frank Warren card this past Saturday, earning the IBO Super-Bantamweight World Championship via split decision. Masoud and Davies were both undefeated fighters walking into the arena, which Al-Al-Sheikh can use to his advantage with smart marketing. Putting two undefeated fighters in the ring always draws a crowd, despite Masoud having just entered the world championship picture. Masoud has competed once in the UAE, but never in Saudi Arabia. Al-Al-Sheikh may be able to entice Masoud and Warren to make a fight happen for all the gold at super-bantamweight.

[O'Shaquie Foster Dominates Robson Conceicao in Rematch!]

In one of boxing's biggest feel-good stories of the month, O'Shaquie Foster was able to regain the championship he unjustly lost in a decision loss last year. Foster and Brazilian world champion Robson Conceicao met for the second time in the ring, reigniting the heated discussion around who deserved the victory.

This time around, Conceicao was more determined to stay on the front foot against Foster. Foster relied on crafty footwork and a crisp jab to work around his opponent's activity. Conceicao made a serious effort against Foster in the third round, throwing a no-guard jab in a coincidental callback to Roy Jones Jr. Foster caught and parried many of the shots Conceicao threw, but the commentators made it known that the judges may not have a clear view of Foster's defensive prowess.

Foster used his defense to his advantage, creating many opportunities to counter with the straight right off of his opponent's jab. Unfortunately for Conceicao, the fight's pace did not increase. Despite his continued activity across the perimeter of the ring, Foster neutralized his offense with a Philly shell.

The two danced around the ring for all 12 rounds, but Conceicao couldn't find a way to stop the continued counterpunching from Foster. Each time the Brazilian swung wide for a hook or lined up a jab, Foster would push it down and counter with a chopping right over the top. Conceicao's creativity gave him several good looks against Foster, but Foster dulled his light with impressive boxing and defense.

In the later rounds of the match, it was clear that Conceicao was tiring. The most obvious sign of his fatigue was the use of clinching when Foster was able to close the distance. He needed a breather for a few moments to restart his offense, which Foster didn't realize until his coaches communicated it to him in round nine.

In the waning minutes of the 10th round, Foster denied a clinch from Conceicao that led to him jabbing him towards the Eastern end of the ring. Conceicao circled to his left and Foster trailed him, leading to an exchange. Conceicao opened up with a left hook, but Foster posted off of his shoulder with the left hand and chopped downward with a right straight, rocking him.

Conceicao stumbled backward, attempting to regain his footing while Foster began a vicious assault from the outside. A hurt opponent is still a dangerous opponent, and Foster used slight half-steps to stay at mid-range. The Brazilian smiled and laughed while he was in danger, raising a high guard to block Foster's oncoming shots. This did little to stop Foster's assault.

He opted to use long hooks to beat around Conceicao's guard, causing him to give up his ground. Conceicao was able to survive by circling away from Foster's power hand mid-combination, using his footwork to move to the other end of the ring. Foster's highly skilled opponent outstretched his arms as an invitation to strike, but Foster was wise enough to not fall for the bait. He tracked Conceicao across the ring, choosing the safer option again.

This earned some unfavorable responses from the Verona, New York crowd, but Foster would turn up the heat again in the next round. The 11th round was a display of Foster's inside work, forcing Conceicao to respect him in exchanges he was in danger of losing. Conceicao raised his guard, but once again was able to reach around it.

Conceicao's will to win was too great to falter in these later rounds, however. He gave Foster more trouble by throwing left and right hooks to the body. At the final bell, the atmosphere in the arena shifted. People were fearful of another robbery in a close fight, and both men could tell. Foster didn't blink once while the scores were being read. Conceicao was smiling from ear to ear yet again, cool under the pressure exerted by the crowd.

Mark Shunock stepped into the ring and began his usual readthrough of the scores, and the crowd fell silent. 115-113, 113-115, and finally, 115-113. Foster was announced as the winner, and the crowd exploded with joy. Amid Foster's celebration, Conceicao's smile remained. When asked about why he was smiling despite losing a close fight, Conceicao said, "I'm happy because I know what I did in the ring. I know that I did a good job, so there's no reason to be sad," he said as his translator took notes. "I'm also happy with my capacity, I know what I did in the ring and it was one of my best performances." Conceicao took his defeat gracefully and received a standing ovation from the remaining fans in attendance.

Foster received plenty of love from the crowd on his way back to the locker room, and on the post-fight analysis, both men were seen calm in their respective rooms. Conceicao's feelings about his performance were true, he didn't appear to be distraught at the loss with his coaches and friends. While Foster did earn his belt back, he didn't celebrate like most champions do. Whether it was out of respect to Conceicao, or to focus on the bigger fights ahead, Foster remained collected. At the end of the night the fans were the true winners, a wrong in the community had been righted. All is well at super-featherweight, and this fight has kept both men in the spotlight.