Shakur Stevenson can easily be considered one of boxing’s best champions in 2025 as the American boasts an impressive 23-0 record.
The current WBC World Lightweight champion is set to take on William Zepeda (33-0) on July 12th, as the fighter’s unbeaten records are on the line.
Stevenson goes into the bout off the back of a TKO win over short-notice opponent Josh Padley. The Englishman Padley took the bout on just four days’ notice and was stopped by body shots from the huge favorite.
Looking back on the fight with Stevenson from February, which was laughed off by Gervonta Davis, Padley has given his insight into what makes the champion so hard to beat.
Josh Padley credits the distance management of Shakur Stevenson
Speaking to First Round TV, Padley was asked about his experience fighting Stevenson in Saudi Arabia. When reflecting on the fight week, the Englishman detailed his underdog mindset going into the unlikely bout, which helped him maintain composure.
“It’s going to be one of the biggest upsets in history if we pull that off. So that was my mindset going into it.”
In terms of the fight itself, Padley revealed he was feeling positive in the opening moments of the fight. “I remember thinking, that’s not that bad, that jab. I can probably counter that later on. And then, yeah, he turned it up.”
When asked what the most surprising aspect of facing the champion was, Padley responded, “How he would be completely out of range to me, to jab him and counter him. But, he wasn’t out of range to hit me exactly where he wanted, at any point.”
Padley then said that Stevenson’s jab improved from his initial impression, saying he felt ‘lured’ into trying to counter him. “The accuracy and his timing… I’ve never sparred anyone remotely like it.”
Josh Padley reveals instructions from Shakur Stevenson’s corner which decided the fight
Padley’s brave performance would end in the ninth round as he was stopped by Stevenson. However, it was a tactical adjustment from the corner of Stevenson which would end the bout.
The fighter said he didn’t have problems absorbing the head punches from Stevenson. Then Padley said he heard the opposition’s corner say, “Go to the body, Shak.”
“Worst thing his corner could have said for me,” Padley added laughingly. “He banged me once to the body… Took the wind straight out of me… That was it, all out assault to my body and it just broke me down.”
Padley described the body shots as frustrating. “The body shots were hitting me, and they were just dropping my legs. So, my body wasn’t even letting me absorb the shots, when I knew that I should have been able to absorb that shot, because the head shot wasn’t that hard.”
The fighter’s frustration was visible in the fight in February. Getting knocked down three times in the ninth round thanks to punches to the midsection, Padley punched the canvas after being grounded for the first and last time.