De La Hoya Backs Floyd Schofield's Focus Ahead of Title Fight

Oscar De La Hoya isn't exactly known for playing it cool when he's got a prospect worth talking up, and right now that prospect is Floyd 'Kid Austin' Schofield. Ahead of the young lightweight's world title fight this Saturday, the Golden Boy promoter went out of his way to describe Schofield's training discipline as something he's never seen before — a fighter who stays in shape between camps and dials in completely once a date is signed.

The pitch is simple: no excuses. De La Hoya says Schofield has done the miles, the bag work and the sparring, and that the preparation leaves nothing on the table. For a promoter whose job is partly salesmanship, that's standard. But the plan behind it is where things get interesting.

The Opponent Pile-Up at 135

De La Hoya made a point of welcoming a potential callout from Abdullah Mason, saying he'd have no problem making that fight. On paper it's a serious one. Mason is 21-0 with 18 knockouts and currently holds a WBO belt, coming off a grinding TKO of Albert Bell in the 12th round. A clash with Schofield would be exactly the kind of young, undefeated-versus-undefeated showcase the lightweight division is crying out for.

There's also William Zepeda floating around the Golden Boy roster, giving De La Hoya more than one path to a marquee fight. His framing was that of a promoter juggling assets — figure out the best move, then make the big ones happen. The lightweight picture is deep enough that he can afford to be choosy.

A Mexico Homecoming and a Grudge

Assuming Saturday goes to plan, De La Hoya is already eyeing a first-quarter 2026 return in Mexico, framing it as a homecoming Schofield would earn with a world title performance. He said the logistics are being worked through with DAZN and the internal team, with an announcement to follow.

He wasn't all upbeat, though. On Gilberto 'Zurdo' Ramirez, who came up short against Benavidez, De La Hoya refused to write him off and floated a possible move to heavyweight — his take being that losing to a volume machine like Benavidez isn't the kind of defeat that defines a career. And he aired a grievance about seating and access at a recent Ryan Garcia-tied event, insisting he'd been set up but brushing it off as fine. Schofield, for now, is the one carrying the promotion's momentum into the weekend.