Shakur Stevenson secured his second stoppage victory since 2021 against late replacement Josh Padley.
Shakur Stevenson was set to defend his WBC world lightweight title against Floyd Schofield on the Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol 2 card.
However, due to illness, both Schofield and Daniel Dubois were forced to withdraw, with electrician Josh Padley getting the call to step up on the big stage, and Martin Bakole taking a chance against Joseph Parker.
The night saw a great deal of action, upset, and controversy – from fans outraged by the Hamzah Sheeraz vs Carlos Adames decision to Zhilei Zhang’s upset stoppage loss to Agit Kabayel and Padley’s surprising resilience in the face of the champion.
Josh Padley wasn’t phased by Shakur Stevenson’s power
In an interview with The Ring Magazine Padley gave his take on Stevenson’s power, which has long been criticized:
“The headshots weren’t bothering me, it was just the body. The conditioning for the body probably weren’t there on four days’ notice. It is what it is.”
Padley’s corner stopped the fight after the ninth round, after Padley had been dropped by body shots three times in the round.
Despite losing to Stevenson, who many consider an elite talent, Padley is in good spirits and has grown in the estimations of fans due to his bravery in taking the fight.
Padley’s last outing before this fight saw him defeat Mark Chamberlain as the underdog.
Padley released a statement on his Instagram stating:
“Pride is bruised but I’m healthy and safe. Won’t be the last you will see of me, dared to be great but didn’t pull it off.
Much lover to everyone who’s shown support.”
Stevenson himself has given Padley praise, posting the following:
Fans react to Josh Padley’s effort against Shakur Stevenson
Though the Doncaster man did not win the fight, he has clearly won the respect of fans across the globe, with many taking to social media to praise Padley’s effort:
Responding to a post asking whose performance stole the show, one fan commended the Yorkshire electrician’s courage:
Others have begun suggesting match-ups for Padley’s next fight, with some suggesting Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz would make a great opponent for Padley after he did himself proud against Stevenson:
Though Padley lost, his loss was not as devastating as that of fellow late replacement, Bakole, who was stopped by Parker in just the second round.
This marked just one more moment of excitement in a stacked card of boxing, with Dmitry Bivol evening the score against Artur Beterbiev, setting up a potential light-heavyweight trilogy.