Schofield vs Haskell UK time, TV channel, live stream and card with Vergil Ortiz Jr fight off
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Vergil Ortiz Jr had so much more riding on tonight’s meeting with Eimantas Stanionis than just the WBA “Regular” title – but once again, his health has intervened.
The fight is off once again, four months after it was last postponed. Ortiz had been hoping to fight for the first time in a year before following his ambitions to move up to super-welterweight in the future.
However, he fainted and was hospitalised just days out. The rest of the card will go on with Floyd Schofield vs Haskell Rhodes moved to the main event slot.
At just 25 years of age, there have been times when Ortiz’s future has hung in the balance due to the rare muscle condition rhabdomyolysis. It scuppered his challenge of Stanionis first time around and continues to be a major struggle in his bid to make it down to 147lbs.
It has long been felt that a longer term, more viable and healthier solution would be for him to move up to super-welterweight but he knows he would have infinitely more credibility if he can get his hands on a version of the world title at 147.
Fighting Stanionis would have been key to that and could have proven a serious test. Stanionis fought on the Errol Spence Jr vs Yordenis Ugas undercard, where he won his title against Radzhab Butaev.
It was far from spectacular and Butaev complained that “the referee allowed Stanionis to fight with his head down the entire time”, but his controlled jab gradually wore his opponent down.
“It was a dream come true to hear ‘and the new’,” said the Lithuanian – but he has once again been denied the chance to defend that title.
Ortiz had been the favourite, looking to add a 20th successive win by KO to his record.
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Schofield vs Rhodes
- Date: Saturday 8 July
- Venue: AT&T Centre, San Antonio, USA
- Fight time: Ring walks for the main event are expected around 4am (UK time)
- TV/live stream: DAZN, where subscriptions start from £9.99 a month. While it’s pay-per-view in the US and Canada UK fans will have it included in their monthly package
- Undercard highlights: Either Marlen Esparza or Gabriela Alaniz will end the night as unified flyweight world champion with the WBA, WBC and WBO belts on the line
- i predicts: Schofield to win by KO
Full card:
- Floyd Schofield vs Haskell Rhodes
- Marlen Esparza vs Gabriela Alaniz
- Eric Tudor vs Reggie Harris
- Joseph Diaz vs Jerry Perez
- Darius Fulgham vs Jeremiah Curtright
Any other business
Anthony Joshua’s rematch with Dillian Whyte has been confirmed for 12 August
Oleksandr Usyk’s title defence against Daniel Dubois will take place on 26 August in Poland as a nearby alternative to Usyk’s native Ukraine
The new Tyson Fury documentary on Netflix has also been given a release date of 16 August
Savannah Marshall is hoping to lure Claressa Shields to Newcastle United’s St James’s Park for their rematch rather than fight in America
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