What’s Going on in Riyadh? Dubois and Schofield Pull Out of Card Due to Illness

Published by: Valdemar Carnegie

Updated: 6:48 PM EST, February 21, 2025

Original photo: Getty Images

One of the most exciting boxing cards of the year took some huge hits this past week. Floyd Schofield and Daniel Dubois have both withdrawn from their scheduled bouts due to illness. Adding to the chaos, claims have been made by the boxing world and media that the fighters may have been “poisoned.”

On Feb. 18, 2025, The Ring announced on X (formerly Twitter) that undefeated lightweight contender Floyd Schofield had backed out of his fight against WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson due to illness. Schofield, who missed the Grand Arrivals, immediately faced backlash from fans, with many accusing him of “ducking” Stevenson out of fear. Surprisingly, Stevenson had predicted this would happen in an interview on The Art of Ward podcast with boxing Hall of Famer Andre Ward. “I’m actually scared that they’re not going to show up to the fight,” Stevenson said. “All of this work that I’m putting in, they’re going to make up some excuse.”

On Feb. 19, just days before fight night, Josh Padley was announced as Schofield’s late replacement. Fans have given Padley credit for stepping up on such short notice, especially since he has never faced an opponent of Stevenson’s caliber.

Then, just days later, heavyweight Daniel Dubois, who was set to fight Joseph Parker in the co-main event, also withdrew due to illness. This news was a huge blow to fans and analysts, as Dubois vs. Parker was one of the most anticipated fights on the card. Later that day, Martin Bakole, coming off the biggest win of his career against Jared “Big Baby” Anderson, was announced as Dubois’ replacement.

With both Schofield and Dubois backing out under similar circumstances, speculation quickly spread that something more sinister was at play. Fans online began theorizing that the fighters had been poisoned. Schofield’s father and trainer, Floyd Schofield Sr., fueled the rumors with a now-viral post on X, stating, “They poisoned my son… Is this SNAC work? Shakur’s massage lady wiped a cream on my son.” SNAC is a sports nutrition company known for sponsoring fighters. The claim divided fans, with some believing Schofield Sr. and others dismissing it as an excuse. He later backtracked, tweeting, “My apologies for any accusations on my part. The massage lady played no part in Floyd’s incident. I want to clear that up!”

Both Schofield’s and Dubois’ teams are hopeful their fighters will return to the ring soon. However, their sudden withdrawals leave many questions unanswered.

How do you feel about the situation? What should be the next move for both fighters? And despite these last-minute changes, are you still excited for fight night on Feb. 22?