Shakur Stevenson was hit with a late blow on fight week ahead of his showdown on ‘The Last Crescendo’.
Stevenson was set to take on 18-0 Floyd Schofield on February 22nd in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. However, an illness has forced Schofield to withdraw from his first world title opportunity.
It is currently unclear as to what the illness is, although, there is no chance that the 22-year-old will recover in time for the bout.
Stevenson’s team have been accused of foul-play leading to the withdrawal by Schofield’s team. Although, it is unclear as to what caused the fighter’s illness.
Despite the withdrawal, Stevenson will remain on the card as he will aim to defend his WBC World Lightweight title.
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Shakur Stevenson gets late replacement for Riyadh showdown
Boxing fans will still get to see Stevenson compete in Saudi Arabia on February 22nd. According to Fight Disciples, Josh Padley will step in to compete for the world lightweight title on Saturday night.
The report has also claimed that Padley has completed a check weigh-in ahead of the bout.
Padley is a 15-0 fighter from the UK, with four knockouts to his name.
In his last outing, Padley got the better of then-undefeated Mark Chamberlain. Going into the bout as a significant underdog, Padley was able to defeat his fellow British fighter to get a unanimous decision win.
Now, ‘Paddy’ will aim to become a world champion as he looks to cause a late-notice upset over Stevenson.
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42-0 boxer misses out on Stevenson bout
As a new opponent has been confirmed for Stevenson, this means that any other fights who were hoping for a short-notice title opportunity will be left disappointed.
This includes Abel Mendoza, who boasts a 42-0 record.
Mendoza recently had a back-and-forth with Curmel Morton, but switched his sights to Stevenson following Schofield’s withdrawal.
Speaking on his X account, Mendoza had a series of tweets sharing his desire to share the ring with Stevenson.
“Let’s feed him to Abel Mendoza”, the fighter said.
“I really am the best option [right now]!”, Mendoza said. “F— this I’m booking my flight over there! IDGAF!”
However, despite his campaigning, it seems as if Stevenson will face Padley at ‘The Last Crescendo’ on February 22nd.