The 24-year-old Schofield took countless flush shots from hard-hitting Canadian contender Lucas Bahdi, delivered numerous damaging punches of his own and won their 12-round battle by unanimous decision to capture the vacant WBA lightweight title in a main event DAZN streamed from DePaul University’s Wintrust Arena in Chicago. Judges Dave DeJonge (116-110), Alfredo Gallardo (119-108) and Steve Weisfeld (115-111) all scored Schofield the winner.

The faster, more athletic Schofield (20-0, 13 KOs) moved at times, yet he also traded often with his dangerous opponent. Schofield’s aggression enabled Bahdi to hurt him several times. He also buzzed Bahdi (20-1, 15 KOs) on multiple occasions and produced a knockdown in the third round.

Nine rounds later, Schofield captured the 135-pound crown the WBA took from long-inactive Gervonta Davis when it relegated him to champion in recess earlier this year. Schofield, of Austin, Texas, entered their bout ranked No. 1 by the WBA and No. 7 by The Ring. Bahdi, of Niagara Falls, Ontario, was rated second by the WBA and eighth by The Ring.

Winning a world title punctuated Schofield’s arduous, emotional journey from homelessness toward the top of the boxing world.

“Honestly, it kinda feels like a dream,” Schofield told DAZN’s Chris Mannix in his post-fight interview. “You know, this is what I’ve been working for since I was 2 years old. You know, I didn’t get a choice to play football or soccer, so I followed my dad’s gameplan and [stuck] with it and I’m glad to see I accomplished what I accomplished tonight.”

Schofield, who went off as at least a 10-1 favorite according to most sportsbooks, fought for the first time since his first-round knockout out former IBF junior lightweight champ Tevin Farmer in June 2025. He had much more difficulty dealing with Bahdi, who changed his career when he knocked out another heavily favored, undefeated fighter, Ashton Sylve, in the sixth round of a fight he was losing on all three scorecards in July 2024.

Though well behind on the cards again against Schofield, Bahdi remained dangerous right up until the final bell rang.

“I’m not gonna lie – I wanted to box,” Schofield said. “But I was like, ‘You know what? I’m trying to beat his ass.’ But then he hit me with a shot [and] I was like, ‘Yeah, he got some power. It’s best to stay on the back foot.’ And that’s what I did. You know, he was decent as far as adjusting to the orthodox [stance], so my dad had me switching to southpaw. I think it worked flawlessly.”

Bahdi believes the fight was closer than DeJonge and Gallardo had it, though he credited Schofield for his toughness.

“It was a great fight,” Bahdi said. “I hurt him a few times, almost got him out of there, but he’s game, man. He’s a warrior.”

A right hand by Bahdi landed, but he also stepped on Schofield’s right foot, which made Schofield fall to his side with 2:06 to go in the 11th round.

Referee Benjamin Rodriguez still counted it as a knockdown. Schofield got up immediately and didn’t protest Rodriguez’s decision, which negated the one-point advantage Schofield gained by scoring a knockdown in the third round.

Bahdi’s right hand previously could’ve caused a knockdown with just under 20 seconds remaining in the ninth round. Schofield’s right knee appeared to touch the canvas as he held Bahdi after absorbing that shot, but Rodriguez didn’t see it.

A sweeping left hook by Bahdi blasted Schofield just before the midway mark of the sixth round. Taking that damage made Schofield hold, but he managed to unload an array of power punches after Bahdi drilled him with another right hand about 20 seconds later.

Bahdi nailed Schofield with another right hand that hurt him with just under 30 seconds to go in the sixth. Schofield somehow fired back with more hard shots just before the bell rang to end the sixth.

“I was like, ‘He got pop,’ ” Schofield said regarding the sixth round. “But I ain’t gonna lie, if it wasn’t for my dad [and trainer, Floyd Sr.] I was trying to get that back because I felt embarrassed a little bit. But, you know, my dad was saying, you know, take every round by every round and, you know, it’s not worth getting caught with a shot and getting put down and [giving] it back on the cards.”

A left hook by Schofield knocked Bahdi off balance with just over 30 seconds remaining in the fourth round. An unfazed Bahdi drilled Schofield with a left of his own that made Schofield reset his feet several seconds before the bell sounded to end the fourth.

A firefight ensued once a right hand by Schofield buckled Bahdi’s legs 35 seconds into the third round. Schofield sensed Bahdi was hurt and tried to capitalize on that momentum, but Bahdi held and eventually wrestled Schofield to the canvas.

A counter left hook by Schofield knocked Bahdi off balance with just over 30 seconds on the clock in the third, though, and sent Bahdi’s head through the two middle ropes. Rodriguez correctly counted it as a knockdown because the ropes kept Bahdi from falling to the canvas.

Schofield fell to the canvas as the third round ended, but Rodriguez didn’t count it as a knockdown. Schofield didn’t appear to be hurt, despite that Bahdi landed a right to Schofield’s body before he went down.

Though willing to trade at times, Schofield realized early in their fan-friendly fight that Bahdi’s power was as legitimate as he thought before they fought. The hardest puncher he opposed prior to Saturday night was Rene Tellez Giron, who dropped Schofield in the 11th round of a contest Schofield won by unanimous decision in November 2024.

“We came into the fight knowing Lucas is a hard puncher,” Schofield said. “I’m not gonna lie, I didn’t think nobody was gonna top Giron, but he sure did. But hats off to Lucas. … We did all this talking, but I’m glad he can go back to his team and his family, and he’s safe.

“I would like to give a big thank you to Lucas Bahdi’s team and family. Y’all talk a lotta s***, but hey, that’s what this game is about and I appreciate you guys.”