Floyd Schofield vs Lucas Bahdi: Who Wins The WBA Lightweight Title Fight?

What is at stake when Floyd Schofield and Lucas Bahdi enter the ring Saturday night for the vacant WBA lightweight title?

Before we begin, let’s outline the paths of both unbeaten contenders. Schofield (19-0, 13 KOs), 24, signed with Golden Boy Promotions in 2022. He found himself in main event spots earlier in his career, showcasing talent and exciting knockouts. There were hurdles, too. After nearly sleepwalking his way to title contention, Schofield was dropped by tough journeyman Rene Tellez Giron in their bout. Schofield would win, but it raised questions.

That led to Schofield’s next bold move: fighting Shakur Stevenson (sort of). He signed to fight Stevenson but withdrew from the fight week due to illness. He has fought only once in roughly a year and a half: a first-round stoppage of former champion Tevin Farmer.

Meanwhile, Bahdi (20-0, 15 KOs) is a Canadian fighter who spent time in the Las Vegas gym and drew big buzz. He built his own record before knocking out Ashton Sylve, a promising prospect whose career Bahdi derailed. Bahdi has since won three fights, none particularly notable, and one by majority decision.

Let’s break down the match-up and stories.

Floyd Schofield Can Replace Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis?

Obviously, he can’t, but with Abdullah Mason as another good young champion in the division, it would be a rightful passing of the torch to a younger generation. So far, Schofield has been known as much for his father’s interviews outside the ring as for his fights inside it. His father explains that he wants to take the pressure off his son, but doesn’t that seem to be the go-to move for every father who is loud in the public spotlight?

Schofield shows true talent; he can excel even with so much going on around him. It is never simple with him, and, not unlike Sylve, it seems he has been clamoring for big fights for years. Well, he got it. Although it is a big name, he has a chance at a belt, which is even bigger than fighting a name. Winning this means you get the big names at some point.

A lot of the modern, beloved fighters are getting older. My first question is simple: Can Schofield start to make people question whether the new era hasn’t dawned but is upon us now?

Lucas Bahdi- A Deep Waters Fighter

I was told by my newsletter peeps that Bahdi has a new team, which could change some of this, but my perception of him is that he likes to wait. He can get outworked because he is a real puncher, and he believes his power will carry late. He will take you into the deeper rounds, not unlike what Claudio Marrero did against Xavier Martinez. Though Martinez won that fight, he was tested in the eighth round. Bahdi keeps a low output, but he is tricky and springs like a great white shark when he sees weakness, such as a lazy jab or hands not coming home fast enough. It is also interesting that Schofield was dropped in the later rounds.

Both Unproven

Take away Schofield stopping Farmer in one round and Bahdi knocking out Sylve, and we have two fighters who resemble high-level prospects more than contenders. It wouldn’t be shocking if this turned out to be a levels fight (where one fighter was dramatically better than the other), since both are so unknown. This is why the eye test and the odds are so difficult with this one, because we know so little.

Ricardo Sandoval Stays on The Card, But…

Unified flyweight champ Sandoval is still on the card, but the bout against Oscar Collazo was a must-see attraction. Writers like me thought it was too much, too soon for Collazo to go from 105 lbs to 112 lbs and face a rugged champ like Sandoval. Others felt Collazo had traits of great fighters of the past and would prove his pound-for-pound ranking. Instead, Collazo got hurt in camp, and Sandoval stays on the card. It sort of sums up 2026: waiting for something that never comes.

Undercard Is Solid

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Obviously, 2024 U.S. Olympic lightweight Jahmal Harvey is the centerpiece of the undercard. He is a true contender and an interesting fighter. He looks like a guy who will fight for a title in 12 fights or less. He is steadily building his buzz as he climbs the ranks.

Junior middleweight Grant Flores is a fighter I expected to see more of. He is a good pressure fighter who could headline Golden Boy’s L.A.-based cards. The problem: boxing stopped running a ton of shows this year. Everything slowed down. Flores is a promising pressure fighter who I think has the potential to be an exciting guy.

2024 U.S. Olympic heavyweight Joshua Edwards has had a slow 2026 (like us all). Edwards is a solid guy, but he hasn’t jumped off the page yet. Despite a decent frame, he resembles modern American heavyweights like Jared Anderson and Richard Torrez Jr., who, at least to the eye test, seem like smaller heavyweights who may be better suited for cruiserweight.

Finally, women’s strawweight Naomy Valle will return on a major card. The 22-year-old Valle is the younger sister of Yokasta Valle and suffered a loss last September. She has fought once since, most notably against an opponent who had just lost to recent MVP signee Sa’Rai Brown-El, who shows superstar traits. More than likely, this assessment fight will be followed by a Valle-Brown bout if she is successful.

Lucas Ketelle

Lucas Ketelle is a boxing writer and podcaster who has appeared on various platforms throughout his career.

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