A thrilling lightweight clash between Floyd Schofield Jr and Lucas Bahdi is being finalised for the undercard of Jake Paul vs Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
Paul is set to square off against the former WBC middleweight champion at the Honda Centre in Anaheim, California, on June 28.
GETTYPaul will face his stiffest test to date in Chavez Jr[/caption]
So far, only a WBA and WBO cruiserweight title fight between Gilberto Ramirez and Yuniel Dorticos has been added to the card.
However, Schofield Jr’s manager, Michael Miller, has told Ring Magazine that a deal to get his client on the bill is nearly done.
“I think it will get done, I don’t have any doubt about it,” Miller said on Wednesday.
“He’s fighting on the 28th either against Bahdi or an equal opponent.”
Schofield Jr (18-0, 12 KOs) hasn’t fought since last November when he picked himself up off the canvas in the 11th round against Rene Tellez Giron to win his first career 12-rounder on points.
He was due to return to the ring on the stacked Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol II undercard on February 22 against WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson.
However, he was forced out of the fight by a fight-week illness.
As a result, Josh Padley stepped in on four days’ notice and was subsequently stopped in the ninth round by body shots.
Bahdi (19-0, 15 KOs) emerged from relative obscurity to flatten Paul’s top-rated lightweight prospect, Ashton ‘H20’ Sylve, last July in talkSPORT’s Knockout of the Year winner.
The Canadian signed a deal with Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions after winning his next fight against Armado Casamonica, and then headlined his first MVP bill in Toronto last month, beating the previously unbeaten Ryan James Racaza on points.
Schofield Jr had been in line to box Bahdi last year after his knockout win over Sylve, but according to Schofield Jr’s father, the 31-year-old ‘ducked’ his son.
“What happened was Lucas Bahdi ducked us,” Schofield Sr told talkSPORT.com. “Lucas Bahdi knocked Ashton out.
“We were supposed to fight Ashton next [on the Paul vs Mike Tyson undercard], and once he did the research on who Kid was, suddenly there was a big excuse.
“They said they were going to take another route.”
Both men are come-forward fighters who carry serious power in both hands.
The clash has all the ingredients of a barnburner and would serve as a big boost for the Paul vs Chavez Jr undercard.
