Floyd Schofield survives late knockdown to win WBA lightweight title

Floyd Schofield beat Lucas Bahdi by unanimous decision to claim the vacant WBA lightweight title after both fighters were knocked down in Chicago.

The American prevailed 116-110, 119-108 and 115-111 at Wintrust Arena on Saturday night, improving his unbeaten record to 20-0 with 13 knockouts. Bahdi suffered his first professional defeat, falling to 20-1.

The result delivered the breakthrough explored in our Schofield v Bahdi world-title analysis, but Schofield had to recover from an 11th-round knockdown to secure it.

Floyd Schofield comes through testing title fight

Schofield scored a knockdown in the third round, sending Bahdi into the ropes during an exchange.

His speed and movement helped him build his case on the scorecards, although Bahdi repeatedly threatened with heavy punches and remained dangerous late in the contest, according to The Ring’s ringside report.

Bahdi put Schofield down with a right hand in the 11th. Schofield recovered and completed the final round, with all three judges awarding him the victory.

The Sporting Tribune’s report also described a disputed ninth-round moment when Schofield’s knee touched the canvas without a knockdown being awarded.

Unbeaten record becomes a championship reign

The 24-year-old returned to action for the first time since stopping Tevin Farmer in June 2025.

This time, Schofield needed all 12 rounds to emerge with the belt, overcoming a late setback against another previously unbeaten contender.

The bout headlined the Golden Boy event covered in our Schofield v Bahdi fight-night guide, with the main event taking place early on Sunday morning for UK viewers.