Reputations mean everything in boxing. And, unfortunately for Floyd Schofield Jr., his took a major hit.

For years on end, Schofield begged and pleaded with Shakur Stevenson to give him a shot at his WBC lightweight title. He wasn’t scared, but Stevenson was reluctant. He wanted matchups with more established names, ones that would give him credibility and generational wealth. The names he sought out weren’t exactly interested, so Schofield was given the call.

Ultimately, at the last minute of their February showdown, the 22-year-old fell ill, leading to a hospital visit and his removal from the card. Although he was hoping that Stevenson would give him another shot, the Olympic silver medalist informed him that he was uninterested. He also told Schofield that he shouldn’t hold his breath on revisiting a future fight.

Initially, Stevenson was pissed. Now, he can’t stop himself from smiling because he landed a matchup with William Zepeda on The Ring’s card in New York City on July 12.

Zepeda has put together a terrific resume. Wiping out the competition has resulted in the 28-year-old grabbing the interim WBC title. Now, he’ll attempt to get his hands on the big boy version of that belt when he faces Stevenson.

By and large, Zepeda is considered Stevenson’s best and toughest opponent. Schofield, though, isn’t sure if that’s entirely true. However, when it comes to his overall view of him as a fighter, he isn’t impressed in the slightest.

“Zepeda ain’t no power puncher,” Schofield told MillCity Boxing recently. “He’s not that good to me. He’s just a volume puncher.”

Volume punching isn’t something that Schofield is a fan of, but Zepeda’s used that style of attack to his advantage, including,when he took on Tevin Farmer in back-to-back fights.

During the 24 rounds they shared, Schofield (18-0, 12 KOs) pulled out a pen and paper and took notes. He’ll now use what he’s learned in his upcoming showdown against Farmer on June 28.

His thoughts on Farmer are ambiguous. There were times when he looked like the smooth-hitting former champion from years past. But, for long stretches, Schofield didn’t see an impressive fighter with much left in the tank.

Regardless of his personal feelings towards Farmer, he knows that the public isn’t interested in hearing him talk. To regain their trust and admiration, he’ll have to go out there and put a beating on the former titleholder.

“I think he did a good performance in those Zepeda fights,” Schofield said. “The first one was close, the second one he got his ass whooped but now he’s in there with a different fighter. Come fight night, we gonna see.”