Floyd Schofield Overcomes Dirty Tactics, Wins by Disqualification Against Esteuri Suero

Lightweight prospect Floyd Schofield (17-0, 12 KOs) endured a nasty cut from a head clash and an assortment of fouls from his perpetually dirty opponent, Esteuri Suero (13-2, 10 KOs), before securing a victory by disqualification at 2:07 of the fifth round on Saturday at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas.

In the co-feature of the William Zepeda-Maxi Hughes main event, referee Raul Caiz Jr. had seen enough of Suero's dirty tactics and decided to halt the contest. The Dominican fighter was deducted a point in Round 2 for lifting Schofield's leg in a clinch, and another point was taken in the fourth when he lifted "Kid Austin" in the air and lightly body-slammed him to the canvas. The final straw came in the fifth round when Suero landed a blatant low blow.

Schofield, 21, was surprised by Suero's tactics. "Man, he was dirty. I didn't expect him to be that dirty, trying to pick me up and everything." The San Antonio-based Golden Boy prospect also had to contend with a cut on his right eyebrow from the end of the first round, largely due to his tendency to leap and lunge in as he pursued the taller Suero.

Despite the cut and the fouls, Schofield could dictate the action, with his leaping left hook doing the most damage. In the first round, he buckled Suero's knees and buzzed his opponent again late in the fourth. Nearly every time Schofield landed a good shot, Suero initiated a clinch and attempted some dirty manoeuvre.

"He only did his dirty tactics because he was hurt," Schofield said. "I had him hurt a couple of times. … He was gonna get out of there soon." Although Schofield had promised a stoppage before the fight, his opponent found a different way out, storming out of the ring immediately after the disqualification.

Despite the unconventional ending, Schofield's performance showcased his potential as a rising star in the lightweight division.